THE STANDARD 

Series of Pictorial Histories, 

By S. G. GOODEICH, 
(PETER PARLEY) 

COMPRISES— 

1. GOODRICH'S AMERICAN CHILD'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF 

THE UNITED STATES. 

2. GOODRICH'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATF^. 

3. GOODRICH'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
i. GOODRICH'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FRANCE. 

5. GOODRICH'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF ROME. 

6. GOODRICH'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF GSEECE. 

7. GOODRICH'S COMMON SCHOOL HISTORY OF THE 'WORLD. 

8. GOODRICH'S PICTORIAL NATURAL HISTORY. 

9. GOODRICH'S HISTOIRE UNIVERSELLE. 

10. GOODRICH'S HISTOIRE DES ETATS-UNIS D'AM^RIQUE. 



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PHILADELPHIA: liW ^i 

PUBLISHED BY E. IL BUTLER ^.^eO. 

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Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1845, by 

S. G. GOODRICH, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by 

S. G. GOODRICH, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of 
New York. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by the 

HEIRS OF S. G. GOODRICH, 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



DCL2? 



1. 



,% (dCo 



Westcott k Thomson, Sherman & Co., 

StereoCypera, Philada. Printen, Philada. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PARK 

I. — Introduction. — Importance of the History of England. — Present state of 

the British Empire <i 

II. — Earliest glimpses of British history. — Csesar, &c l.'i 

III. — Invasion of Britain by the Romans 15 

IV. — Cttractacus.— The Druids.— London destroyed.— Boadicea defeated 17 

v.— Agricola.— The Scots and Picts.— The Roman wall. — Christianity intro- 
duced 19 

VI. — The Romans abandon Britain. — Sufferings of the Britons 21 

VII. — Account of the Saxons 22 

VIII. — The Language and Religion of the Anglo-Saxons.— Names of the days of 

the week. — Introduction of Christianity 24 

IX.— The Anglo-Saxon.-i. — Their Historians. — Condition of the people 25 

X. — Laws of the Anglo-Saxons. — Modes of trial. — The Ordeal 26 

XI. — The kingdom of England established. — The Danes. — Saxon race of kings. 

— Alfred the Great 28 

XII. — More about Alfred 30 

XIII. — About the architecture of the Anglo-Saxons 33 

XIV. — Of the learning of the Anglo-Saxons. — The Clergy 34 

XV. — Alfred encourages the arts. — About the English navy. — Death of Alfred. 

— Reign of Edward the Elder 35 

XVI.— Adventures of AulafT.- The Long Battle.— Athelstau.— His death 37 

XVII. — Edmund murdered. — Edred. — St. Dunstan 38 

XVIII.— The Monks and the Secular Clergy 40 

XIX. — Edgar the Piaceable. — Edward the Martyr 41 

XX. — Ethelred II. — Penances. — Indulgences.— The Butter Tower 42 

XXI. — Troubles with the Danes. — Peace made with them 44 

XXII. — Massacre of the Danes in England, Ac. — Edmund Ironside. — Canute con- 
quers England ^. 45 

XXIII. — Dress and amusements of the Anglo-Saxons 46 

XXIV.— Canute the Great. — His rebuke of his courtiers 48 

XXV. — Reigns of Harold Harefoot, and of Ilardicanute. 50 

XXVI. — Edward the Confessor. — Harold. — About the Conquest 51 

XXVII. — William I., the Conqueror. — The Saxon nobles degraded 54 

XXVIII —Game Laws.- Rebellion of Robert.— Domes-day Book. — Death of Wil- 
liam 1 66 

XXIX. — England after the Norman conquest. — The English language 58 

XXX.— The Feudal System.— A Norman castle 59 

XXXI. — William Rufus. — The sons of William the Conqueror 61 

XXXII.— The Crusades 02 

XXXIII. — William obtains large territories by mortgage. — His death 64 

XXXIV. — Henry I. usurps the crown. — Dispute between the Pope and the King, &c. 66 

XXXV.— Henry.— Edgar Atheling.— Death of Robert 68 

XXXVI. — Melancholy condition of the king, &c 69 

XXXVII. — Battle of Brenneville. — Ancient armor 70 

XXXVIII. — Death of Prince William, and many young nobles 71 

XXXIX. — Matilda marries Geoffrey Plantagenet. — Death of Henry I. — Stephen 

usurps the crown 73 

XL. — Proceedings of Stephen, &c 74 

XLI. — Matilda acknowledges the queen, 4c. — Peace restored. — Death of Stephen. 76 

XLII. — Employment of the ladies in the time of Henry II 78 

XLIII. — Pages, Esquires, and Knights 79 

XLIV. — Surnames. — Education of Henry II., &c. — About the only Englishman 

that ever was made pope 81 

XLV. — More about Henry II. — Queen Eleanor 83 

XLVI. — Thomas h Becket. — How he lost his rich cloak 84 

XLVII. — Henry and the clergy. — Death of Becket ' 85 

XLVIII. — Becket canonized by the Pope, &c 88 

1 S 5 



b CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XLIX. — Earl Strongbow goes over to Ireland to assist Dermot Macmorrogh. — 

The English conquer Ireland 89 

L. — The sons of Henry rebel 91 

LI. — Penance of Henry II. — Fresh rebellions of his sons. — Death of Henry II. 92 

LII. — Of Richard the Lion-hearted 94 

LIII.— E.xpluitsof Richard in Palestine 96 

LIV. — Philip returns to Europe. — More of Richard's exploits 97 

LY. — yiiiiiwreck of Richard, &c 99 

LVI. — Interdict and exconiniuiiication. — Richard returns to England 101 

LVII. — Death of Richard the Lion-hearted 103 

LVIII. — John, surnamed Lackland 104 

LIX. — .John quarrels with the pope. — About the Jews 106 

LX. — Magna Charta signed. — The French invade England. — Death of John.. 10.S 

LXI.— Henry III. — Coats of arms, or .\rmoriaI Bearings Ill 

LXII. — Distnrlifd state of England. — Of benevolences 112 

LXin. — The kin;; lUid jiope vs. the chnrcliinen 113 

LXIV.— .Simon ,1,. Montfort,— The Mad Parliament 115 

LXV.— Prince Edward.— Battle of Lewes. — The " Mise " of Lewes 116 

LXVI. — A change in the constitution of Parliament. — Prince Edward escapes 

from imprisonment. — The barons subdued 117 

LXVII. — Prince Edward goes on a crusade. — Death of Henry III. — About paint- 
ing and illuminated manuscripts 119 

LXVIII. — Architecture. — Trade and the merchants of England 121 

LXIX. — State of learning. — Friar Bacon. — Judicial Astrology. — Trials by 

combat 122 

LXX. — Edward I.— Tournaments.— Battle of Chalons 124 

LXXI. — More about Edward. — Conquest of Wales. — Massacre of the Welsh 

Bards 125 

LXXII. — The Maid of Norway. — Edward interferes in the affairs of Scotland 128 

LXXIII.— Wallace.— Edward's vow— Death of Edward 130 

LXXIV.— Edward IL— Battle of Bannockburn, Ac IIU 

LXXV.^Faniines. — .Agriculture. — Customs of the time 133 

LXXA'I. — Edward II. receives Hugh Spencer into favor. — Tie is dethroned and 

cruellv murdered bv l.^abella and Roger Mortimer 134 

LXXVII.— Edward ill.— War with Scotland, &c.— Peace with Scotland 136 

LXXVIII. — Edward III. — He makes war on Scotland. — Claims the crown of France. 138 
LX.XIX. — Kdw.ird III. makes war upon Philip. King of France. — Cannon used... 140 
LXXX.— Battle of Cressy.— Death of the King of Bohemia.— Siege of Calais.— 

Storv of Eustace de St. Pierre , 142 

LXXXI.— The Knights of the Carter.— The Charter House School 144 

LXXXII.— Dress in the reign of Edward III 146 

LXXXIII.— Battle of Poictiers. — King John of France taken prisoner. — Generous 

conduct of tne Black Prince 147 

LXXXIV. — Honorable conduct of John. King of France. — Death of Edward III. — 

The English language adopted, &c 150 

LXXXV. — Richard II. succeeds to the throne. — Insurrection under AT at Tyler and 

Jack Straw. — The Templars and the temple 152 

LXXXA'I.— The insurrection quelled 154 

LXXXA'II.- Character of Richard II.— Chancer and Robert Langland 1,56 

LXXXVIII. — Anecdote illustrating the manners of the times 157 

LXXXIX. — The king resigns his power to a regency. — Death of the Duke of 

Gloucester 159 

XC. — Trial by combat, between the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk, Ac 160 

XCI. — Henry of Lancaster returns to England and compels Richard II. to 

resign the crown. — Death of Richard 162 

XCII.— Account of John Wickliffe 163 

XCIII. — Henry IV. keeps the throne. — Owen Glendower 165 

XCIV.— Several rebelli..ns against Henry IV.. &c 167 

XCV. — Henrv seizes the young Prince of Scotlanil. — Character of James I. of 

Scotland 168 

XCVI.— Anecdotes of Prince Henry. — Death of Henry IV 169 

XCVII. — Prince Henry and the Lollard. — Dress of the ladies 171 

XCVIII. — Henry V. — Persecution of the Lollards. — Lord Cobham 172 

XCIX.— Henry V. invades France, &c 173 

C.— Henry again invades France, &c. — His death 176 

CI.— Domestic habits of thi; English in the Fifteenth Century 178 

CII. — Domestic habits, continued. — State of learning. — Whittiugton Lord 

Mayor 179 

cm.— .Toan of Arc. the Maid of Orleans 181 

CIV.— Henrv VI.. Ac— Murder of the Duke of Gloucester 184 



CONTENTS. I 

Cy._Xlio Duko of York forms a design to claim the crown.— Insurrection of 



186 
188 



Jack Cade - 

CYI.— Battle of St. Albans.— Tlie Duko of York claims the crown.— >\ arwick, 

the kingmaker ._...... 

CVII— Continuation of the war between the Two Roses.- Death of the Duke 

of York.- Mis son proclaimed king by the title of Edward IV 189 

CVIII.— Edward IV.— The civil war continues ......... ..^.... 192 

CIX —Marriage of King Edward IV.— Battle of Barnet.— Death of War- 

wick, &c ]l° 

CX— Edward IV. is outwitted by Louis of France. a»» 

CXI.— Invention of the art of printing ■•; ,;■ ••••■••• ^"" 

CXII.— Kichard, Duke of Gloucester, seizes upon the young king, Edward V... zo-i 

CXIII.— Richard III. usurps the crown, &c -« 

CXIV.— A plot for placing Henry Tudor on the throne ^"' 

CXV.— Battle of Bosworth-field.— Death of Richard III -"» 

CXVI.—Aniu.senients.—Christma.s.— Dress ^\^ 

CXVII —End of the line of Plantagcnet. &c— Rise of the commons ^l^ 

CXVIII.— Henry VII.— Lambert Simnel.— Death of Lord Lovel ^la 

CXIX.— A new impostor.— Adventures of Perkin Warbeck ■^j' 

CXX.— Conclusion of the story of I'erkiu Warbeck, &c -1» 

CXXI.— Architecture of Henry VII.'s time.— Discoveries ^-" 

CXXII.— Death of Henry VII.— The Star Chamber f^ 

CXXIII.— Henry VIII.— Rise of Wolsoy ^^ 

CXXIV.— More about Cardinal Wolsey :-'j:,^r\':""^"i\ 

CXXV.— Henry invades France.— Battle of the Spurs.— Battle of Hodden Field. 

—Charles V. visits England -•. • -""» 

CXXVI— Henry VIII. and Anne Holey n.— Thomas Cranmer.— Disgrace and 

death of Wolsey ;;-V:";"V 

CXXVII.— Henry VIII. marries Anno Boleyn.— Sir Thomas More.— Death of Anne 

Boleyn „„„ 

CXXVni— Thomas Cromwell.— The king's marriages ^o 

CXXIX.-llenry VIII. very zealous against heretics ^' 

CXXX:.- The Bible translated into English.— Ignorance of the people Mb 

CXXXI.— War between England and Scotland.— Death ol Henry Mil ^W 

CXXXII.— Anecdotes of Henry VIII., &c "•;.••.• ;: .m7 

CXXXIII.— The Duke of Somerset iii.pointed Protector.— Religious matters ^-w 

CXXXIV.— Edward and Mary, ic— Dudley ..•.•• • ■^« 

CXXXV.— Suppression of the religious houses.— W arwick rules the country ^47 

CXXXVI.— The religious houses.— Fashions of dress, &c -*° 



CXXXVII.— Lady Jane Grey. &c. 



vwj.— .-...., «- . — ^^ 

CXXO^Vllli-TTioVami'ers oFQueen' Mary'^ time.— The houses of the nobles.— Some 

particulars of the mode of house-keeping f°_^ 

CXXXI.X.— Manners of the English —Commerce ^»o 

CXL.— Queen Mary, ic— Execution of Lady Jane Grey ^^' 

CX LI.— Persecution of the Protestant? •■••■•■••••• ~'^' 

CXLII.— War with France.— Battle of St. Quenfin.— The English lose Calais.— 

Death of Mary • ,••• •■ ^*''^ 

CXLIII.— Elizabeth proclaimed queen.— The Reformed faith restored.- Prosper- 



ous state of the kingdom. 



2C3 



CXLIV.— Elizabeths court.— Robert Dudley ^"° 

CXLV.— Elizabeth's costumu.—Tho Queen of Scots ^od 

CXLVI.— Continuation of the Story of Mary ^^» 

CXLVII.— Continuation of the Story of Mary ^' 

CXLVIII.— Elizabeth detains Mary a« a prisoner, &c /■■""r ii-k 

CXLIX— A new plot in favor of Mary is detected.— Mary is put to death ^d 

CL— The Invincible Armada.— Elizabeth and her subjects ^o 

CLI.— Sir Walter Raleigh.— Virginia settled.— The Earl of Essex ^77 

CLII.— Dress in the time of Elizabeth ^'^ 

CLIII.-Queen Klizabeth's progresses, &c. ^»" 

CLIV.— Death of Lord Burleigh.— Lord Essex and Eliiabeth ^»^ 

CLV.— Execution of Essex.— Death of Elizabeth ^»^ 

CLVI.— Character and anecdotes of Elizabeth.— Spenser .• ^o 

CLVII.-James I. and his court.-Sir Walter Raleigh introduces tobacco and ^^^ 

CLVIII.-Cons'ri'racT to' pVaco''Arabeiia' Stuart" on t'lie throne.-Slr Waiter ^^^ 

Raleigh „„„ 

CLIX.— The Gunpowder Plot • fZ'i 

CLX.— Prince Henry.— Condition of the people, Ac..................;.-.-. •• ^^ 

CLXI.-Anecdotes of James I.-The Bible translated.-Coaches introduced ... 295 
CLXII.— The Earl of Somerset and Duko of Buckingham.— Death of James I... IVb 



O CONTENTS. 

OUAPTEa PAGE 

CLXIII.— Lord Bacon.— Lord Napier.— Sir Edward Coke.— The Puritans 298 

CLXIV.— Cliarles I.— Muider of the Dulie of Buckingham 300 

CLXV.— Wentworth, Earl of Strafford.- Tlie Scotch covenanters 303 

CLXVI.— Distress ol the king.— Death of Strafford 305 

CLXVIl. — Dress of the cavaliers and puritans. — Costume of the ladies, &c 306 

CLXVIII. — Hampden. — Pym. — Sir Henry Vane. — Commencement of hostilities. 

Battles of Edgehill, and of Marston Moor, &c 308 

CLXIX.— Oliver Cromwell 311 

CLXX.— The Battle of Naseby, &c 313 

CLXXI. — Cromwell discovers the insincerity of the king. — The latter attempts 

to escape, but is detained in the Isle of Wight 316 

CLXXII. — Charles is tried for high treason. — His execution 318 

CLXXIII. — Anecdotes of Charles I., &c. — The sect of Quakers rises 3'J2 

CLXXIV.— England a Commonwealth, &c 324 

CLXXV. — Adventures of Charles alter the battle of Worcester 326 

CLXXVI. — Success of the English in a war with Holland. — Cromwell makes him- 
self ruler 328 

CLXXVII.— Cromwell made protector, &c 331 

CLXXVIII. — Kichard Cromwell proclaimed protector, &c. — Charles II. proclaimed 

king 334 

CLXXIX. — Milton.— Andrew Marvell. — Algernon Sydney. — James Harrington.... 337 

CLXXX.— Character of Charles II., &c 339 

CLXXXI. — Great plague in Loudon, followed by a great fire. — Great improve- 
ments in London. — Sir Matthew Hale and Sir Christopher Wren. 341 
CLXXXII. — Charles sacrifices the Earl of Clarendon. — The king a pensioner of 

France, <fec 344 

CLXXXIII.— The terms Whig and Tory.— Death of Russell and Sydney.— Death of 

Charles II. 347 

CLXXXIV.— Poets and Philosophers of the time of Charles II ;.... 349 

CLXXXV. — James II. — Maria d'Este.— General Dalziell, &c 351 

CLXXXVI. — James II. seeks to restore popery. — Cruelties practised by Jeffries and 

Kirk. — Rash conduct of James. — .James flies to France 353 

CLXXXVII.— The Revolution of 168S.— William and Mary called to the throne 356 

CLXXXVIII. — The Highlanders refuse to acknowledge William and Mary. — Massacre 

of Glencoe. — Death of .lames II.. 358 

CLXXXIX.— Peace of Ryswick.— Death of Mary; of William 360 

CXC. — Style of living and manners. — Arms and dress of the soldiers 362 

CXCI.— Queen Anne. — The Duke of Marlborough. — Battle of Blenheim 364 

CXCII. — Gibraltar taken from the Spaniards. — Sir Cloudesley Shovel. — Robin- 
son Crusoe 366 

CXCIII. — Marlborough's victorious Career. — Peace of Utrecht. — Death of Anne. 

— Union between Scotland and England 363 

CXCIV. — Great men of Queen Anne's time. — Newton. — Locke. — Clarke. — Pope. 

—Addison.— Swift.— Watts 370 

CXCV.— George I.— Rebellion in Scotland 372 

CXCVI. — Of the rising in England. —The South-Sea scheme. — Death of 

George I 374 

CXCVII. — George II. — Queen Caroline. — War on the Continent. — Battle of Fon- 

tenoy. — Anson's voyage round the world 377 

CXCVIII. — The young Pretender lands in Scotland, and marcaes into England. — 

Is compelled to retreat 379 

CXCIX. — The Pretender is victorious at Falkiik, but defeated at Culloden. — 

Adventures of Prince Charles Edward 381 

CC. — The style of dress in George II. 's time. — Old style and new style 384 

CCI. — The Seven Years' War. — General Washington. — Capture of Quebec, 

and death of Wolfe.— Death of George II.— Sir Robert Walpole... 387 
ecu. — George III. — Political contests. — John Wilkes. — Pa-ssage of the Stamp 

Act 389 

CCIII. — Death of the Earl of Chatham. — Mobs in London. — British generosity. 

— Peace of Versailles 391 

CCIV. — The writers and poets of the reign of George II 394 

CCV. — Attempts to murder the king. — The younger Pitt. — Duties of the 

king's ministers 397 

CCVI. — The French Revolution breaks out. — War between France and Eng- 
land 400 

CCVII. — Gloomy state of affairs in 1797. — The Bank of England suspends pay- 
ment 402 

CCVIII. — Bonaparte returns to France. — He leads liis army over the Alps, and 
defeats the Austrians in It;vly. — Expedition against Copenhagen 
under Lord Nelson 404 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAOE 

CCIX.— Peace of Amiens. — Hostilities renewed between France and England. — 
Battle of Trafalgar. — Death of Lord Nelson. — Condition of Europe 

in ISOS t06 

OCX. — Sir Arthur Wellesley sent into Spain.— Death of Sir John Moore. — The 

Walt:lii^reu expedition. — The Cabinet, &c... 407 

CCXI.— War with the Uni ted States. — War in the peninsula, where Lord Welling- 
ton commands the British. — Expedition of Napoleon into Russia. — 
Napoleon sent to Elba. — Returns to France and recovers his power 

there.— Battle of Waterloo, &c 409 

CCXII. — The national debt. — Ilargraves and Arkwright. — Watt and the steam 

engine , 413 

CCXIII. — Lord Exmouth's expedition to Algiers. — The African slave trade. — John 

Howard. 415 

CCXIV. — Death of George III. — The authors who flourished in the latter part of his 

reign 416 

CCXV. — George IV. — His character and hal)its. &c 421 

CCXVI. — The queen returns to England. — The king refuses to acknowledge her as 

queen 424 

CCXTII.— Coronation of George IV.- Death of the queen 426 

CCXVIII.— The king visits Ireland and Scotland.— .\ Highlander's dress 428 

CCXIX. — A year of projects. — The coinage of England 429 

CCXX. — The coinage of England, continued 431 

CCXXI.— The Princess Charlotte marries Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. — Her death. — 

Lord Liverpool. — Catholic Kmancipation and Reform 4.33 

CCXXII. — Reform in the House of Commons. — History of that body 435 

CCXXIII. — Great change in the habits of George IV. — His death. — Improvement in 

London, &c 437 

CCXXIV.— William IV.— The Reform Bill.— Great riots.— The cholera 439 

CCXXA*. — Reform in the House of Commons. — Death of William IV. — Accession of 
Victoria. — Her marriage. — Recent important events. — Character of 

the English 441 

CCXX VI. — The Crimean War. — English view of the civil war in America. — Marriage 

of the Prince of Wales 444 

CCXXVII. — The Atlantic Cable. — Expedition against Abyssinia. — Disendowment of 

the Irish Church.— The Alabama affair. — The Fisheries. — Conclusion. 446 










A' 



L 



■7? 




Long^ude Eajit from ^Vi^: 



History of England. 



CHAPTER I. 





--'L^ -■:'f^.°?\ 



S a source of useful and interesting kTiowiedge, the 
^ ■i'f'V^f&Nj A liistorj- of England surpasses that of all other coun- 
V^il^^^ ^J t"^'^- ' ^ detailed account of the various steps by 
Avhich a nation has risen from the savage state to 
an unexami)lcd pitch of wealth, power, and civil- 
ization, cannot fail to be alike instructive and 
amusing to the general reader. 

2. But to us the history of England is the history of our father- 
land, the history of our ancestors, and of most of tlu; institutions which 
belong to society in the United States. In government, religion, 
manners, custon'is. feelings, opinions, language, and descent, we are 
wholly or partially Englisli. We cannot, therefore, undei^tand our- 
selves, or our institutions, but by a careful perusal of English history. 

3. To the philosopher, this sulyect is one of the most profound 
interest. When Great Britain first appears in the page of history, 
it is on the outskirts of the known world ; remote from the great 
centre of science and civilization, and inhabited by a people of the 
most savage character. It is a dark and gloomy spot upon the face 

CHAP. I.— 1. Why does the history of Enghiiid surpass all others in interest and in- 
struction? 2. Why is the history fiaiticularly interesting to Americans? 3. Why is 

11 



12 



INTRODUCTION. 



of the globe, its inhabitants presenting an aspect as revolting as that 
of its cold and foggy climate. 

4. At the present day, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
Ireland exhibits the most extraordinary spectacle of national glory 
which the world has ever witnessed. Eome, in her brightest days, 
could not compare with it, in point of wealth, power, and civilization. 

5. To the eye of the traveller, the three kingdoms seem almost 
like a mighty garden, strown over with cities, palaces, villages, and 
country-seats. Here are the finest roads, and the best travelling 
vehicles in the world ; railroads and canals cross the country in 
every direction ; ai'ts and manufactures are carried to the highest 
degree of perfection ; and commerce brings hither the luxuries of 
every clime. 

6. London, the metropolis of Great Britain, serves to indicate the 
character of the nation. It has more than 3,000,000 of people, and 
surpasses any other city in wealth and population. The govern- 
ment of England exei'cises a commanding influence, not only in the 
countries of Europe, but upon the fortunes of the world. Within 
our own day, China, which has more than one-quarter of the inhab- 
itants of the globe, has been compelled to bow to the will of this 
Island Empire. 

7. The colonies of Great Britain extend over the whole globe, 
and contain a population of one hundred and sixty millions. In 
allusion to the immense extent and power of the British Empire, it 
has been spoken of by a celebrated orator, as a kingdom that " has 
dotted the surface of the globe with her possessions and military 
posts, whose morning drum-beat, following the sun, and keeping 
company with the hours, circles the earth daily with one continuous 
and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England." It is the 
history of this great people, which we are now about to consider. 

this history interesting to the philosopher? 4. What of the United Kingdom of Great 
Britain and Ireland at the present day? o. What do tlie three kingdoms present to the 
eye of the traveller? What of trade, ic? 6. What of London? Popuhition of Great 
Britain? The government? China? 7. The colonies of Great Britain? What has a 
celebrated orator Siiid? 




EARLY BRITISH HISTORY. 



13 



CHAPTER II. 

Earliest Glimpses of British History. — Ccesar. — Manners and Customs 
of the first Inhabitants of Britain. 







1. We must now turn from this brief survey of the present con- 
dition of the British Empire, and go back to the earliest times of 
which history jrives us any account. 

2. Several hundred years before the Cliristian era, it appears that 
the Phoenicians visited England. Their chief object was to obtain 
tin, which was procured from the mines of Cornwall. Hence tlie 
Casterides, or Tin Isles, was the ancient designation of the British 
islands. Settlements are supposed to have been made by the Phoe- 
nicians in Ireland, and it is conjectured that considerable trade was 
carried on with the pe()i)le there. 

3. The original iid\abitants of England, Ireland, and Scotland seem 
to have been of the same Celtic stock which first peopled France and 
Spain, though they were divided into numerous tribes. The Roman 
writers mention the names of more than forty in England. 

4. Some of these were more savage than others. A few among 
the southern tribes practised agriculture in a rude fashion, and wore 
artificial cloths for dress. They had also war-chariots in great num- 
bers, and were acquainted with some of the first arts of civilized 

II.— 1. What of the Phoenicians? 2. What name did they give the British Isles? 
3. What of the original inhabitants of England, Ireland, and Scotland? 4. Manners 

2 



14 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BRITONS. 

life. To the north, the people were mere savages — using tlie un- 
dressed hides of cattle for clothing, and tattooing their skins for 
ornament. 

6. The women, like those of our present savages, Avere practised 
to basket-making, the material being the twigs of willows. They 
also sewed together the skins of animals for dress; their thread 
being made of leather or vegetable fibres, and their needles of 
pieces of bone. 

6. Such was the condition of the people, when Julius Ca>sar, 
having completed the subjugation of (laul, now called France, 
began to think of adding the island of Britain to his conquests. 
Tlie white chalk clifls of Dover, from which Britain had also the 
name of Albion, could be seen from the coast of Gaul, and as 
Ctesar's ambition knew no bounds, he doubtless thought that this 
strange country invited him to its conquest. 

7. Having made up his mind to undertake an expedition against 
it, he assembled the merchants who had traded to Britain for hides 
and tin, and made inquiry respecting the manners, customs, and 
power of the people of that island, and such other matters as would 
be interesting to him in his present situation. 

8. The precise answer which the merchants gave to these ques- 
tions is not recorded. Neither the people of Gaul nor of Britain 
could write, nor had they any books. Ctesar himself, who was an 
author, as well as a soldier, has told us almost ail that we know 
about them. It appears, however, that the reply of the merchants 
of whom he made inquiries, was substantially as follows: 

9. "The people of Britain have blue eyes, and very fair com- 
plexions. They are tall and stout, and remarkable for their 
strength. Their bodies are often ornamented with figures of various 
animals. For tliis ])urpose they submit to a very painful opera- 
tion. The figure is pricked upon the skin with sharp neodles, and 
then a blue dye, made of a plant called woad, is rubbed in. 

10. " Most of them wear no clothing excei)t the skin of an animal 
which is thrown over the shouldei's, and fastened at the breast by a 
thorn or a sharp-pointed stick. Many of tliem have flocks and 
herds, and live upon meat, or on such fruits and jjlants as the earth 
produces without cultivation. 

11. "The principal drink is milk, but they have also a fermented 
liquor j^repared from honey, and called mead, of which they are 
very fond. They live in winter in holes in the ground, and in 
summer in huts made of stakes stuck in the earth, interwoven with 
osiei-s, and covered with the boughs of trees. 

VI. " They are a very hospitable people. The stranger no sooner 
enters the door than water is presented to him to wash his feet. 
If he uses it, and at the same time gives his arms to the master of 
the house, it is understood that he means to pass the night. This 
creates joy throughout the family. 



of the people? 5. Wluit of the women? 6. Wlij' was England called Albion? What 
of Cresar? 7. What rtiil lie lio ? 8. To whom are we chiefly indebted for our knowledge 
of the early Britons? 9. What of their persons !■ 10. Clothing? Food? 11. Drink? 



INVASION OF BRITAIN BY THE ROMANS. 15 

13. "A feast is prepared. The company sit in a circle upon the 
ground, with a little hay, grass, or the skins of animals, spread 
under them. Each person takes the meat set before him in his 
hands, and tears it to pieces with his teeth. If it proves too tough 
for this, he uses the knife which is placed in the centre for the com- 
mon benefit. The meat is served up in dishes made of wood, or 
earthenware, or in baskets made of osiers. 

14. " The feast is enUvencd by the music of the harp. Some- 
times the great men give feasts, and he is the most popular who 
gives the greatest. These last until all the provisions are con- 
sumed, frequently for several days. A great prince once gave an 
entertainment, which was kept up without interruption for a whole 
year, and to which all comers were welcome. 

15. " But you Romans are more interested in knowing what are 
their weapons of war, and means of defence. Tliey use a shield, and 
a dagger, and a short spear ; to the lower end of the latter is fastened 
a bell, which thev shake to frighten the horses of their enemies. In 
battle they make use of chariots with scythes fastened tt) the axle- 
trees; they are drawn by two horses, and driven furiously among 
their 'enemies, inllicting horrible wounds, whilst tlie warrior hurls his 
spears." Such was the information Caesar obtained, and it gave a 
true account of the condition of the original inhabitants of Britain. 



CHAPTER III. 

Invasion of Britain by the Romans. 

1. We may suppose that Ciesar had little dread of meeting such 
a savage people as the Britons would seem to have been, with his 
well-disci]iliiie(l troops. H(> probably learnt, too, that the people 
were dividi>d into many small tribes, governed by independent 
rulers, who did not agree very well among themselves. 

2. He embarked hts troojis'at Calais, and in a fcAV hours reached 
the coast of Britain, near Dover. Sailing to the north about eight 
miles, he determined to land near Deal. The Britons had heard 
of his coming, and were assembled to prevent his landing. Their 
painted bodies gave *liem a most terrific appearance, and their 
savage yells made even the Romans-hesitate to attack th(>m. 

3. At last a standard-bearer jumped into the sea, and advanced 
with the eafflc, whicli was the Roman standard, towards the enemy, 
crying aloud, "Follow me, soldiers, unless you will betray the 
Roman eagle into the hands of the enemy. I, at least, will dis- 
charge my duty to Ca3sar and to my countiy." 



Houses? 12. Xlospitality? 13. The feiiat? 14. Music? Feasts given by great men? 

15. Weapons of war? „ ,. ,^, , ,,- 

III.— 1. What of the govoriimpiit of Britain ? 2. Where did Ctesar land ? What of liis 

troops? 3. What roused tlie spirit of tho troops? 4. What success had C»sar? 5. 



16 



INVASION OF BRITAIN BY THE ROMANS. 



4. Animated by this speech, and excited by his example, the sol- 
diers plunged into the sea, and waded to the land, in spite of all the 
Britons could do. Cfesar remained about three weeks upon the 
island, during which he gained many battles. He then granted a 
peace to the Britons, upon condition that they should pay tribute 
to the Roman people. 




TIIK ROMANS IN ENGLAND. 

5. The Britons neglected to perform their engagements, and in 
the year 54, B. C, Ca?sar again invaded the island. Landing, as 
before, at Deal, he advanced into the country. The Britons had 
now united their forces under one chief, named Cassivelaunus. 
Still they were defeated in every battle. 

6. Having brought the people to submission, and compelled them 
to give him many of their chief men as hostages — that is, security 
for the performance of their engagements — Caesar returned to Rome. 

7. As no troops were left in Britain to maintain the authority of 
Rome, the Britons soon threw off all marks of subjection, and the 
tribute remained unpaid. The civil dissensions among the Romans 
themselves, long prevented their taking any measures to compel the 
payment. 

8. An intercourse was, however, kept up with Rome. Many of 
the chief persons of Britain visited that city, and some of the young 
men were educated there. By this means the Britons began to im- 
prove in their manners and habits. 

9. The mantle of skins was replaced by one of cloth, and close 
trowsers were introduced. They likewise adopted a vest, a tunic, 
fitting tight to the body and reaching just below the waist. Their 



When did Caesar return to Britain? The result? 7. What of the obedience of the 
Britons? 8. What effect had their intercourse with Rome? 9. What change in dress? 
10. What of their money? 11. Their vessels? 



INVASION OF BRITAIN BY THE ROMANS. 



17 



shoes were still made of the skin of some animal, with the hair out- 
wards. 

10. They also began to coin money. For some ages the trade of 
Britain had been carried on by barter or exchange. When metals 
were first used as money, their value was determined by weight. 
The seller having agreed to accept a certain quantity of gold or sil- 
ver for his goods, the buyer cut off that quantity from the piece of 
that metal in his possession, and, having weighed it, delivered it to 
the seller, and received the goods. 

11. The invasion of the Romans had made the Britons acquainted 
with the use of tools ; and stout galleys took the place of the frail 
boats made of osiers and the tlexible branches of trees, covered with 
skins of oxen, in which they had hitherto navigated the stormy seas 
around their islands. 



CHAPTER IV. 
Caractaeus. — The Dniids. — London destroyed. — Boadicea defeated. 




CARACTACUS A PRISONER AT ROME. 

1. At length, in the year 43 after the birth of Christ, being 97 
years from the first invasion by Cresar, the Romans determined to 
make another attempt to conquer Britain. An army of 50,000 men 
was collected and sent into the island, under the command of Aulus 
Plautius. 

2. The Britons fought bravely for their liberty, but could not 



IV.— 1. When was the third Roman invasion of Britain? 2. Who commanded the 
2* 



18 



THE DRUIDS. 



withstand the Roman discipline. Their principal chief, named 
Caractacus, and his family, were taken prisoners. They were all 
sent to Rome, and the king, his wife, and his two daughters, were 
made to walk through the streets loaded with chains. 

3. Observing the splendor of the great city, Caractacus could not 
forbear exclaiming, "Alas! how is it possible that people possessed 
of such magnificence at home, should envy me my humble cottage 
in Britain ?" 

4. Notwithstanding their victories, the Romans made little prog- 
ress in the conquest of the island. Suetonius Paulinus, one of their 
most skilful generals, resolved to adopt a new method. He observed 
that the Druids were the most inveterate enemies of the Romans, and 
that it was their influence which kept up the spirit of the people. 




A DRUID ADDRESSING THE I'EOrLE. 



5. The Druids were the priests and law-givers of the Britons. 
The chiefs commanded the forces' in time of war, but all other 
power was in the hands of the Druids. The laws of the Britons 
were composed in verse, and the only record of them was in the 
memory of the Druids. The old taught them to the young, and thu3 
the knowledge of them was kept up from one generation to another. 

6. So great was the veneration in which they were held, that 
when two hostile armies, with daggers drawn, and spears extended, 
were about to engage in battle, the request of the Druids was suffi- 
cient to calm their rage, and to induce them to sheath their daggers, 
and separate in peace. 

7. The Druids believed that it was displeasing to the Deity to 
worship within walls, or under roofs. They worshipped, therefore, 



Britons? What was his fate? 4. What of the Druids? 5. Who were they? What 
of the laws of Britain ? 9. What of tlie influence of the Druids ? 7, 8. Their temples ? 



DESTRITOTION OF LONDON. 19 

in the open air in groves of ijarticular trees. The favorite was the 
strong and spreading oak, and in all their ceremonies they were 
crowned with garlands of its leaves. 

8. In the centre of the grove was a space enclosed with one or two 
rows of large stones set upright in the ground. In the centre stood 
the altar upon which sacrifices were offered. When they wished to 
erect a temjile of particular magnificence, they laid stones of pro- 
digious weight on the tops of the upright pillars, thus forming a kind 
of circle in the air, which added much to the grandeur. Some of 
these temples yet remain ; the most perfect is at Stonehenge. 

9. The ofiice of Druid was held by women as well as by men ; 
the former took part in all the public ceremonies ; to them was 
assigned the horrible duty of plunging the knife into the breast of 
the victim prepared for the sacrifice. The victims were not sheep 
and oxen alone, but the prisoners taken in war were considered as 
a most acceptable offering. 

10. The principal residence of the Druids was in the little island 
of Anglesea. Suetonius resolved to make himself master of this 
stronghold. The Britons endeavored to prevent the landing of his 
troops. The women and priests mingled with the soldiers on the 
shore, and running about with burning torches in their hands, and 
tossing their long hair, they terrified the astonished Romans more 
by their shrieks and bowlings, than by the appearance of the armed 
forces. 

11. But the Romans soon recovered their spirits, and, marching 
boldly forward, speedily put an end to all resistance. Meanwhile 
the Britons took advantage of the absence of Suetonius. Headed 
by Boadicea, a brave queen, they attacked and destroyed the Roman 
settlements. There were many of these which were quite flourish- 
ing. London, which at the first invasion was a forest, had now 
become a rich and populous city. 

12. Suetonius was obliged to abandon this place to the fury of 
the Britons. It was entirely destroyed, and more than 70,000 
Romans and other strangers were put to death. But he soon had 
a most cruel revenge ; with his little army of 10,000 men, he at- 
tacked the Britons, and left 80,000 of them dead upon the field of 
battle. Boadicea, in despair at this defeat, poisoned herself. 



CHAPTER V. 



Agricoh. — The Scots and Fids. — The Eoman Wall. — Christianity 
introduced. 

1. The Romans now easily established themselves all over Britain, 
and built towns and castles, and were entire masters of the country. 

9. Were the Druids ahvaj's men? Wliat part did the women take in the ceremonies? 

10. Where did tliey principally reside? What did Suetonius do? How did the inhab- 
itants of the island act? 11. What was the result? What did the Britntis do in tlie 
absence of the Romans? What of London ? 12. Wliat revenge did Suetonius have? 



20 THE SCOTS AND PICTS. 

Julius Agricola, one of their generals, was a very good, as well as a 
brave man. He took great pains to reconcile the Britons to the 
Roman government, by introducing their arts and sciences. He 
encouraged them to engage in agriculture, which the Romans con- 
sidered the most honorable employment. He also persuaded them 
to learn the Latin language. 

2. He succeeded so well in his endeavors, that the Britons soon 
came to esteem it a privilege to be a part of the Roman empire. 
Indeed, they derived other advantages besides the increase of com- 
fort which a knowledge of the Roman arts had brought them. 

3. The northern part of the island, called Caledonia, and now 
Scotland, was inhabited by the Scots and Picts, a wild and warlike 
people, who made incursions into the country of Britain, and after 
destroying everything that came in their way, retired into their 
bleak and barren mountains. 

4. Whenever they ventured to stand a battle in the open field, 
they were defeated by the Romans; but they seldom did this. 
They generally retired as the Roman troops advanced. As soon as 
the latter were withdrawn from their neighborhood, they again 
commenced their depredations. 

5. Agricola caused a line of forts to be built across Scotland, 
thus shutting out the marauders. The country now enjoyed peace 
for many years, during which the Romans occupied themselves in 
making roads, many of which are still remaining ; and in building 
strong and massive castles, the ruins of wliich are still to be seen. 

6. But the forts did not prove a sufficient defence against the 
Picts and Scots, who renewed their incursions u])on the more cul- 
tivated parts of the island. The Emperor Adrian, who visited 
Britain, caused a rampart of earth to be erected. This, however, 
proved too weak, and in the year 207 the Emperor Severus came 
to Britain, with a determination to conquer Caledonia. 

7. The nature of the country, and the bravery of the people, pre- 
vented his succeeding ; so he contented himself with building an 
immense stone wall, twelve feet high, and eight feet thick, quite 
across the countiy, from the river Tyne to the Solway Frith, many 
parts of which are still to be seen. 

8. For a long time everything went on so quietly, that little men- 
tion is made of the affiiirs of this island by any historian. The 
people were governed by Roman officers, called legates, or vicars. 
Among the benefits which the conquerors bestowed on Britain, was 
the introduction of Christianity, which there is reason to believe 
had made considerable progress before the end of the first century. 

V. — 1. What of Julius Agricola? What did he do for the Britons? 2. What success 
had he? 3. What was the northern part of the island called? By whom Inhabited? 
4. What of the Scots and Picts? 5. What did Agricola do to restrain them? How did 
the Romans occupy themselves? 6. What new means were tried to keep oflF the Picts 
and Scots? What of the Emperor Severus? 8. What was the state of the island after 
Severus? What of Christianity? 



BUFFERINGS OF THE BEITONS. 21 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Romans abandon Britain, — Dreadful Sufferings of the Britons. 

1. About the year 448, the Romans were compelled to withdraw 
their troops from the distant provinces, and, among the rest, from 
Britain, to defend their city against the barbarous tribes of the 
north of Europe. 

2. Before the Romans left the island, they repaired the wall 
built by Severus. But as walls are of very little use without brave 
and well-armed men to defend them, the Roman general instructed 
the Britons in the art of making and of using the several kinds 
of arms. 

3. He then departed with his troops, telling the people that, as 
they would never again have assistance from the Romans, they had 
better learn to take care of themselves. Thus the Romans quitted 
the island, after having had possession of it nearly 500 years, if we 
reckon from the first invasion of Julius Caesar. 

4. Liberty proved anything but a blessing to the Britons. They 
were as helpless as so many children turned loose upon the world. 
They had so long been accustomed to rely upon the Romans for 
defence as well as for government, that they knew not how to set 
about either. 

5. The Picts and the Scots, learning that the island was deserted 
by the Romans, approached the wall of Severus. They found it in 
complete repair, and apparently well defended by armed Britons. 
But these had profited little by the instructions of their late mas- 
ters, and they fled at the first attack. 

6. The savage invaders now ravaged the whole countiy. They 
were like wolves let into a sheep-fold. The wretched Brftons fled 
from their comfortable houses, and sought a refuge in the forests 
and mountains. Afraid to venture forth to cultivate their fields, 
they suffered all the horrors of famine. 

7. The land being now barren, and nothing to be gained, the 
Picts and Scots ceased from their incursions for several years. The 
Britons who had survived the calamities of their country, once more 
began ploughing and sowing, and the next year there was an abun- 
dant harvest. No sooner did the rapacious Scots hear of it, than 
they all came rushing into Britain. 

8. The Britons, for a third time, sent to the Romans to come and 
help them, and despatched a letter to Aetius, the governor of Gaul : 
" To Aetius, thrice Consul. The groans of the Britons. The barba- 
rians drive us to the sea ; the sea throws us back on the swords 
of the barbarians : so we have nothing left but the wretched choice 

VI. — 1. When did the Romans withdraw from Britain? 2. What did they do for the 
defence of the Britons? 3. How King had they posstssed the ishind? 4. AVhat of the 
Britons? 5. The Scots and Picts? 6. How did they treat the Britons? 7. What 
caused them to suspend their incursions? Why did they renew them? 8. What did 
the Britons do ? 



22 



ACCOUNT OF THE SAXONS. 



of being either drowned or butchered." This melancholy letter did 
no good, but they received assistance from another quarter, as you 
shall presently hear. 



CHAPTEE VII. 

Account of the Saxons. 




THE DEATH OF HOKSA. 

1 . At the time of which we are now speaking, the shores of the 
Baltic Sea were inhabited by several tribes of jjeople, nearly in a 
savage state. In France, and in those parts of the continent of 
Europe which had been subject to Rome, they were called by the 
common name of Men of the North, or Noi-mans; amongst them- 
selves they were distinguished by various names, such as Saxons, 
Danes, and many others. 

2. These people Avere the terror of all the more civilized coun- 
tries. Launching their light boats, which were made of osiers, cov- 
ered with skins sewed together, they suftercd the wind to blow them 
to any foreign coast. Landing there, they spread devastation over 
a wide extent of country, and then returned home laden with booty. 

3. It so happened that, in the year 448, during one of their 
piratical expeditions, a party of about 300 Saxons, under two lead- 
ers named Hengist and Horsa, landed in Britain, just at the time 
when the pe()i)le were suffering from the ravages of the Scots. 

4. Vortigern, a prince of the Britons, advised his countrymen to 



VII. — 1. Who were the Normans? 2. What is said of their expeditions? 3. When 
did Hensrist and Horsa land in Britain? 4. How did the Britons receive them? 5. What 



ACCOUNT OF THE SAXONS. 23 

entreat aid from these strangers. This was readily granted. Join- 
ing their forces, the Britons and Saxons marched against the Scots, 
who were defeated and driven back. 

5. The Saxons, seeing the agreeable nature of the country, began 
to covet the possession of it for themselves. Sending for more of 
their countrymen, they fell u^jon the unfortunate Britons, and de- 
feated them in many battles, in one of which Horsa was killed. 

6. Hengist, now become sole commander of the Saxons, took the 
title of King of Kent. New swarms of Saxons kept pouring in, 
and by degrees got possession of almost the whole country south of 
Adrian's wall. Each of the chiefs took possession of what he con- 
quered, and thus at last arose seven different kingdoms, which are 
commonly called the Saxon Heptarchy. 

7. These .seven kingdoms were as follows : — 

Kent — contained the present counties of Kent, and part of Sus- 
sex. 

South Saxony, or Sussex — the jj resent county of Surrey, and part 
of Sussex. 

West Saxony, or Wessex — included the coast from Sussex to 
Land's End. 

East Saxony, or Essex. 

East Anglia — so called from a district of German}^ whence a por- 
tion of the conquering Saxons came, included Norfolk, Suffolk, and 
Cambridgeshire. 

Mercia — the midland part of the island. 

Northumberland — from ^lercia to the borders of Scotland. 

8. The Britons did not yield Avithout a struggle. Sometimes they 
were cheered by a momentary success. The most celebrated of 
their chiefs was the renowned King Arthur, who defeated the 
Saxons in twelve battles. 

9. He used to give great feasts to his brave companions. That 
there might be no disputes about the seats, he had a round table 
made, so that all might be equally honorable. King Arthur and 
the Knights of the Round Table have been great favorites witli 
story-tellers. 

10. But all opposition proved vain. A large number of the Brit- 
ons Avere slaughtered by the Saxons. A portion of them crossed 
over to Franco, where they settled in the northwestern corner of 
that country, which has since, from them, been called Brittany. 
The remainder took refuge in tlie mountains of Wales and Corn- 
wall. The present inhabitants of these districts are the descendants 
of the ancient Britons, and still retain vestiges of their language. 

dill tho Saxons do? 6. Wliat was tlu? Ilfptjircliy? 7. Describe the seven kingdoms. 8, 
M. What is said of King Aitliui? 10. Wliat became of the Britons? 



24 CUSTOMS OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Language and Eeligion of the Anglo-Saxons. — Origin of the 
Names of the Days of the Week. — Curious Circumstance which led 
to the Introduction of Christianity. 

1. The people who had now possessed themselves of Britain are 
called in history Anglo-Saxons. So completely was the country 
subdued, that no customs, truly British or Eoman, were now to be 
seen ; the language, which had been either Celtic or Latin, was dis- 
continued, and the Saxon or English only was spoken. 

2. The Christian religion also disappeared, for the Saxons were 
pagans, and worshipped a great number of gods. From the chief 
of them the days of the week receive their names. Worshipping 
the Sun, they called the first day Sunday. The second was named 
Monday, from the IMoon. Another god they called Tuisco, or Tiw, 
and to him they assigned the third day. 

3. The next idol which they adored for a god was Woden ; he had 
been a famous and victorious prince among them, and after his 
death they worshipped him as the God of Battle. The fourth day 
was named for him Woden's day, or Wednesday. Not only the 
Saxons, but all the northern nations worshipped Thor, whose name 
was given to the fifth day, Thursday. 

4. Friday received its name from Friga, who was the same with 
the Earth, and was esteemed the mother of all the deities. They 
had another god named Saterne, and to him they consecrated the 
last day of the week, and called it Saterne's day, or Saturday. 

5. But the Anglo-Saxons did not long remain pagans. For the 
early introduction of Christianity they were indebted to a circum- 
stance, which furnishes a striking instance that a seemiog evil often 
proves the source of the most lasting good. 

6. Slavery, in its worst form, existed among the Anglo-Saxons. 
With most savage nations, prisoners taken in war are either slain 
or made slaves of. But few people are so debased as were these 
conquerors of Britain. To gratify some temporary appetite, indi- 
viduals would sell themselves into bondage, and parents were known 
to sell their own children. 

7. It happened one day, when Pope Gregory I. was walking in 
the streets of Rome, that he saw some very beautiful children ex- 
posed for sale. Asking from whence they came, he was told from 
England, on which he said they would not be Angll, but Angeli, if 
they were but Christians. Angli is the Latin word for English, and 
Angeli, that for Angels. 

8. Gregory resolved to attempt this change ; so he ordered St. 
Austin or Augustine, with forty other Roman monks, to go into 

VIII. — 1. What were the conquerors of Britain called? What is said of the lan- 
guage? 2. What of the religion of the Savons? 3, 4. From whom are the days of the 
week named? 6. What bad custom existed among the Saxons? 7. What attracted 



INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 25 

Britain and preach the Gospel. Wiien these missionaries reached 
France, the people of whicli had already been converted to Chris- 
tianity, they heard such dreadful stories of the savage manners of 
the Anglo-Saxons, that they were afraid to go on, and sent back 
Augustine to ask the jiope's permission to give up the enterprise. 

9. But Gregory exhorted them to persevere, and advised them to 
take some of the French people, then called Franks, as interpreters, 
for their language was nearly tlie same as that of the Anglo-Saxons. 
Augustine proceeded and found the danger much less than he hail 
imagined. 

10. Ethelbert, King of Kent, was already well disposed toward-* 
the Christian faith, for his wife Bertha was a daughter of Caribcrt, 
one of the kings of France. He therefore received the missionaries 
with kindness. Having heard what they had to say, he told them 
that lie could not without consideration abandon the religion of his 
ancestors ; but as they had come so far on a friendly errand, they 
might remain in peace, and use their best endeavors to convert his 
subjects. 

11. The monks at once entered on their labors, which were 
crow'ned with such success, that in a veiy short time the king and 
a great number of his subjects were converted. Augustine bap- 
tized no fewer than ten thousand on Christmas day, o97, and was 
soon after made Archbishop of Canterbury. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Anglo-Saxons. — Their Historians. — The Condition of the People. 

1. In the course of time the manners of the Anglo-Saxons lost 
somewhat of their fierceness, and their customs and institutions 
became more civilized. Our knowledge of them is very imperfect. 
None but the clergy made any pretensions to learning. Few of 
these could do more than read their prayer-books and write their 
names. 

2. There were many even among the high clergy who could ru)t 
do this. There are deeds still extant, made by hwd bishops, which 
are signed by some other persons in their names, because tlie lord 
bishops could not write their own names. 

3. The earliest historian is Gildas, who lived in the sixth cen- 
tury. He was so much admired by his countrymen, as to be called 
by them Gildas the Wise. In the seventh century there was another 
learned monk, named Bede, or, as he is generally called, the Venerable 
Bede, He was never higher in rank than a simple monk, yet, on 

tlie notice of Gregory to Britain? 8. Wlioni did he send to convert it? 9. What did 
tlio monks do? 10. Who received the missionaries kindly? 11. What was their suc- 
cess ? 

IX.— 1. Wliat is said of the manners of the Anglo-Saxons? What of the state of 
learning? 3. What is said of Gildaa? 4. What of the government of the Anclo-Saxons? 



26 THE CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 

account of his writings, Lis fame spread througli all Europe. The 
pope courted his comi^any, and his advice in the government of the 
church. 

4. From these sources we are able to tell you that the Anglo- 
Saxons were governed by a king, whose power was very much con- 
trolled and limited by an assembly of the wise men of the nation, 
called the WUtenagemot. The nobility, the high clergy, and all 
freemen possessing a certain portion of land, were, of right, mem- 
bers of this assembly. 

5. The Anglo-Saxons were divided into three orders of men — the 
nobles, the freemen, and the slaves. The nobles formed a very 
large class. They were called Thanes. The freemen were called 
Ceorls, and were jjrincipally engaged in husbandry, whence a hus- 
bandman and a ceorl came to be synonymous terms. 

6. A ceorl could raise himself to the rank of thane, in various 
ways. Success in agriculture might furnish him with the means of 
procuring tlie requisite (quantity of land, with buildings proper to 
the dignity. If a ceorl acquired learning enough and became a 
priest, he was esteemed a thane. Success in trade, or in war, raised 
him to the same rank. Agriculture, commerce, arms, and the church, 
were considered the only professions for a freeman. 

7. The slaves were by far the most numerous class. They were 
of two kinds, namely, household slaves, who lived in the family, and 
performed the ordinary duties of domestic servants, and rustic slaves, 
who were attached to particular estates, and were transferred with 
the soil. 

8. "Phese last were called villani, or villains, because they dwelt 
in the villages belonging to their masters, and performed all the 
servile labors required upon the land. The clergy made great efforts 
to improve the condition of the slaves, and to secure the rights 
which their influence had jjrocured for them. Notwithstanding 
this, the greater part of the common people remained in abject 
slavery during the time the Saxons governed the country. 



CHAPTER X. 

The Laws of the Anglo-Saxons. — Modes of Trial. — The Ordeal. 

1. Under the Romans, Britain was divided into colonies and 
governments. By the Saxons the country was parcelled out into 
counties, or, as they called them, shires, which means divisions. 
The government of a shire was entrusted to an eorl or eorldorman, 
whence the present terms earl and alderman. The earl generally 
exercised this government by his deputy, called the shire-reeve, or 
sheriff— that is, guardian of a shire. 

5. How were they divided? 6. By -what means could a man rise in rank? 7. What is 
said of the slaves ? 8. Wlio were the villains? Why so called? 
X. — 1. How was Britain divided by the Romans? How by the Saxons? IIow was 



LAWS OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 27 

2. The criminal laws of the Anglo-Saxous were very mild. 
Every crime might be compensated for in money. We consider 
the life and limbs of one man as valuable as those of another. But 
among the Anglo-Saxons the value of a man's life, or of his arm, or 
his leg, depended upon his rank, or his office, and a price was fixed 
accordingly, which was to be paid by the person who should de- 
prive him of either. 

3. Their mode of proving crimes was singular. Instead of being 
determined by the evidence of witnesses, they referred the decision 
to th.e judgment of God, as it was called. There were various modes 
of doing this, but the most common was the ordeal. This method 
was practised either by boiling water, or red-hot iron. 

4. The water or iron was consecrated by many prayers and fast- 
ings, after which the accused person either took up with his naked 
hand a stone sunk in the boiling water, or carried the heated iron 
to a certain distance. The hand was then wrapped up, and the 
covering sealed for three days ; if at the end of the time there ap- 
peared no marks of burning or scalding, the person was pronounced 
innocent ; otherwise he was declared guilty. 

5. Another way of performing the ordeal of hot iron was, by 
making the person to be tried, to walk blindfold over nine hot 
ploughshares, placed at certain distances. If he did this without 
being burnt, he was acquitted. These fiery ordeals were nothing 
but impositions on the credulity of mankind. 

6. The whole was conducted under the direction of the priests, 
and the ceremony was perlormed in a church. No person was per- 
mitted to enter except the priest and the accused until the iron was 
heated, when twelve friends of the accused and twelve of the ac- 
cuser were admitted, and ranged along the wall, on each side of the 
church, at a respectful distance. 

7. After the iron was taken from the fire, several prayers were 
said, and many forms gone through ; all this might take a consider- 
able time, if the priests were indulgent. It was always remarked 
that no good friend of the church ever sustained the least injury 
from the ordeal ; but if any one who had wronged the church was 
foolish enough to appeal to this mode of trial, he was sure to burn 
his fingers or his feet, and to lose iiis cause. 

8. I am afraid you will think all this very dull, but these are 
matters proper to be known. It may be a little more interesting to 
hear what officers were considered as necessary in tlie king's house- 
hold. The first in dignity was the mayor of the palace, always a 
prince of the royal family. The priest was the next in rank, who 
sat at the royal table to bless the meat, and to chant the Lord's 
prayer. 

9. The third was the steward, who had a variety of perquisites, 
and came in for a large share of every barrel of good ale, and cask 
of mead. Then came the judge, distinguished for his learning, and 



the shire governed? 2. What of the criminal laws of the Anglo-Saxons? 3. How wore 
trials conducted? 4, 5. Describe the kinds of ordeal, and mode of proceeding. 6. Who 
conducted these ceremonies? 8, 9. What officers had the king about him? 



28 



THE KINGDOM OF ENGLAND ESTABLISHED. 



by his long beard. Last, and perhaps the most useful, was the 
king's feet-bearer. This was a young gentleman, whose duty it 
was to sit on the floor, and hold the king's feet in his bosom, while 
he sat at table, to keep them warm and comfortable. 



CHAPTER XL 



The Kingdom of England establixhed. — The Danes become trouble- 
some. — Saxon Race of Kings from Egbert to Alfred. — Alfred the 
Great. 




ALFRED AND HIS MOTHER. 



1. After the Saxons had expelled the Britons, finding no other 
enemies to subdue, they began to quarrel among themselves. At 
last Egbert, King of Wessex, a prince of great natural abilities, 
who had spent some time at the court of Charlemagne, King of 
France, reduced all the other kingdoms to subjection, and in 827 
was crowned king of Angle-land, or England, by which name this 
portion of the United Kingdom has from that time been called. 

2. It was now nearly 400 years since the Saxons first came into 
Britain. They had begun to value the arts of peace, and hoped, 
under the government of one prince, to enjoy quiet. But they were 
disappointed. As they had robbed the more civilized Britons, so 
they themselves were subjected in their turn to the ravages of the 



XI.— 1. Who rt'ducert England to one kingdom? When was he crowned? 2. Who 



SAXON RACE OF KINGS. 29 

Danes, who yet retained the savage and piratical habits of their 
ancestors. 

3. They began their irrnptions into England during the reign of 
Egbert, In the reign of Ethelwolf, his son, they became more for- 
midable. Landing from their little vessels, they scattered them- 
selves over the face of the country in small parties, making spoil 
of everything that came in their way — goods, cattle, and people. 

4. If opposed by a superior force, they retreated to their boats, 
and, sailing off, invaded some distant qiuirter, where they were not 
expected. All England was kept in continual alarm ; nor durst the 
people of one part go to the assistance of another, lest their own fam- 
ilies and possessions should be exposed to the fury of the ravagers. 

5. The harassed state of the country did not hinder the king from 
making a pilgrimage to Rome, taking with him his youngest son, 
Alfred, not yet six years old. Ethelwolf was a weak and super- 
stitious prince, and the clergy of England took advantage of the 
opportunity to obtain a grant of a tenth part, called a tithe, of the 
produce of land. 

6. During the reigns of Ethelbald, Ethelbert, and Ethelred, sons 
of Ethelwolf, who in succession governed England, the Danes con- 
tinued their piratical incursions. The last of these princes was 
killed in battle against them, in the year 871, and was succeeded by 
his youngest brother, Alfred, who was one of the best and greatest 
kings that ever reigned in England. 

7. Alfred, like the young Saxons in general, was brought up in 
so much ignorance, that he was not even taught to read ; but when 
he Avas about twelve years old, his mother one day showed him and 
his brothers a book ot" Saxon poetry, which was beautifully written 
and ornamented, and told them that she would give it to the one 
who should soonest learn to peruse it. 

8. Alfred applied himself with so much ardor, that in a very short 
time he was aljle to read the poem to the queen, who gave it to him 
as his reward. From this time he took the greatest delight in study ; 
but he had two great ditBculties to struggle with ; one was, that 
there were so few books to be had ; and the other, that there were 
80 few people among the Saxons who could teach him anything. 

9. Notwithstanding all these obstacles, he soon became one of 
the most learned men of his time. Even when he was king, he 
always carried a book in the bosom of his robe, that whenever he 
had a spare moment he might be able to profit by it ; and thus, 
without neglecting any of his duties, he acquired a very extensive 
knowledge. 

10. His time was divided into three equal parts ; one-third was 
devoted to religion and to study, another third to sleep and refresh-" 
ment, and the other to the affairs of his kingdom. As there were 
no clocks or watches in use in England, Alfred contrived to meas- 
ure time by the burning of candles. 



trouble;! the Saxor.s? 3, 4. What is said of the irruptions of the Danes? 5. What did 
Ethelwolf do? What of his character? 6. Who succeeded him? When did Alfred 
begin to reign? 7,8. What of Alfifd's learning? 9. What instance of his regard for 



30 



ADVENTURES OF ALFRED. 



11. These candles were painted in rings of difierent breadths 
and colors — so many colors as he had things to attend to — and thus 
he knew by the burning of these candles when he had been em- 
ployed long enough about any one thing. But he found that when 
the wind blew upon his candies they burnt quicker ; and so, to rem- 
edy the inconvenience, he invented lanterns to put them in. 



CHAPTER XII. 

3Iore about Alfred. — His various Adventures. — He subdues the Danes. 




ALFRED RELIEVIXr; THE PILGRIM. 

1. Alfred was twenty-two years old when he succeeded his 
brother Ethelred. During the first eight years of his reign, he suf- 
fered continual persecution from the Danes, who at one time ob- 
tained almost entire possession of the kingdom, and Alfred jvas 
obliged to conceal himself. 

2. It was now very difficult for him to procure provisions, but he 
still retained his charitable disposition. One day, as he sat reading in 



improvement? 10. How was his time divided? How did he measure time? 11. De- 
scribe his candles. 
XII.— 1. What of tho first years of the reign of Alfred? 2, 3. What story is related 



ADVENTURES OF ALFRED. 



31 



his hut, whilst Elswitha, liis wife, was employed in her domestic 
concerns, a poor pilgrim knocked at the door and begged they 
would give him something to eat. 

3. The humane king called to Elswitha, and asked her to give 
the poor man part of what was in the house. The queen, having 
but a single loaf of bread, brought it to Alfred to show him how^ 
slender their store was. But he was not to be deterred from his 
charitable purpose, and cheerfully gave to the poor man one-half 
of the loaf. 

4. The better to conceal himself, Alfred at one time assumed the 
disguise of a servant, and hired himself to a cow-herd. One day, 
when he was in the cottage trimming his bow and arrows, the old 
man's Avife, who did not know that he was the king, told him to 
watch some cakes that were baking by the fire. 




ALFRED AND THE XEAT-HEUD"S WIFE. 

5. Alfred, who had many other things to think of, forgot to turn 
them at the proper time, and they were all spoiled. The old woman 
was very angry with him, and told him he was a lazy fellow, who 
would eat the cakes, though he would not take the trouble to turn 
them. 

6. At length an occurrence took j)lacc, which revived, in some 
degree, the sj^irit of the Saxons. A Saxon noble, being besieged 
in his castle by a renowned Danish general, made a sally upon the 
enemy, and put them to rout. The Danish general himself was 
killed, and the Raven, a consecrated standard in which the Danes 
placed great confidence, was taken. 

7. Alfred was glad to see the valor of his j^eople returning. Be- 
fore summoning them to assemble in arms, he resolved to learn by 



of his chiirit.v ? 4. 5. How did ho disguise himself? What anecdote is related of him ? 
6. What revived the spirit of the English? 7, 8. What did Alfred do to obtain a know- 



32 ALFRED SUBDUES THE DANES. 

personal observation the exact strength of the enemy, that he might 
judge of the probability of success. 




ALFRED THE GREAT A HAIU'KR. 

8. Disguising himself as a harper, he entered the Danish camp. 
When Guthrani, the general of the Danes, heard him play and sing, 
he was so much pleased with him, that he made him stay for some 
days in the camp, supposing him to be some poor minstrel. 

9. Alfred made good use of his eyes all this time. He observed 
that the Danes, not supposing that the English could muster 
another army strong enough to attack them, were quite off their 
guard, and were dancing and singing, and thought of nothing but 
amusing themselves. 

10. The king, having gained all the knowledge he wanted, slipped 
out of the camp, and throwing off all disguises, summoned his 
faithful subjects to meet him near Salwood Forest. The English, 
who had believed their beloved monarch to be dead, received the 
summons with great gladness, and joyfully resorted to the appointed 
place. 

11. Alfred did not alloAV their ardor to cool, but led them against 
the enemy, who were completely defeated. Instead of killing, or 
making slaves of the prisoners, as was often done in that barbarous 
age, he permitted them, upon their becoming Christians, and prom- 
ising to live honestly, to remain in England. They established 
themselves in East Anglia, and Northumberland ; but they and 
their descendants proved very troublesome subjects. 

Ifib^i' (if the condition of the Danes? 9. AVliat did lie observe in the Danish camp? 10, 
Wli;it measure did he in consequence adopt? 11. AV hat was his success? Wliat did he 
do with his prisoneis? 



ARCHITECTURE OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 33 

CHAPTER XIII. 

About the Architecture of the Anglo-Saxons. 

1. After the victory over Guthram, England enjoyed many 
years of peace and tranquillity. These were devoted by Alfred to 
repairing the mischief which had been done by the Danes. The 
churches and monasteries, as they contained the greatest riches, so 
they had been the first objects of attack and destruction. 

2. To repair these might seem no very difficult matter, for most 
of them were built of wood, and covered with thatch. Stones were 
only used in building castles, and strong places of defence. When 
the Saxons came into Britain, they found a great many beautiful 
palaces, baths, churches, and other buildings of stone, which had 
been erected by the Romans. 

3. Some of them were built with so much solidity that they would 
have remained to this day, if they had not been wilfully destroyed. 
This was done by the Saxons, who made it a rule to destroy every 
toAvn or castle that they took, instead of preserving it for their 
own use. 

4. They had been accustomed to live in wretched hovels, made 
of earth, or wood, and covered with straw, or the branches of trees; 
nor did they much improve their knowledge of architecture for 200 
years after their arrival in Britain. 

5. Towards the close of the seventh century, there lived two cler- 
gymen, Wilfrid, a famous bishop of York, and Benedict, founder 
of the monastery of Weremouth, who were great travellers. Dur- 
ing their frequent visits to Rome, they had acquired some taste for 
architecture, and resolved to attempt an improvement of the taste 
of their Saxon countiymen. 

6. " In the year 674," says Bede, " Benedict crossed the sea and 
brought with him a number of masons, in order to build the church 
of his monastery of stone, after the Roman manner, of which he 
was a great admirer. W^hen the work was far advanced, he sent 
agents into France, to procure glass-makers, to glaze the windows 
of his church and monastery. 

7. " These not only performed the work required of them, but 
taught the English the art of making glass for windows, lamps, 
drinking-vessels, and other uses." The ancient Britons, indeed, 
were acquainted with this art, but the Saxons had never before 
acquired it. 

8. This stone building with glass windows was an object of great 
curiosity and admiration, but did not find many imitators. When 
Alfred resolved to rebuild his ruined churches and monasteries, and 
to adorn his cities with stone buildings, he was obliged to send to 
foreign countries for workmen. 

XIII. — 1. Wliat had been the objects of Danish destruction? 2. What of the use of 
stone for building ? 3. What of the Roman buildings ? 4. What of the early architec- 
ture of the Saxons? 5. Who introduced the use of stone? 6. 7. What other art was 



34 LEAR>ING OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 

9. But even now the use of stone did not become general, and 
glass Avindows were only to be seen in churches. Long after Al- 
fred's time, the Anglo-Saxon nobles gave their feasts, and spent 
their great revenues, in low and inconvenient wooden structures, 
into which the light was admitted through holes cut in the walls, 
and covered with lattice-work, or, in stormy weather, with cloth. 

10. The Anglo-Saxon architecture seems to have been a rude 
imitation of the ancient Eoman manner. The most admired 
churches were low and gloomy, their pillars plain and clumsy, the 
walls very thick, and the windows few and small, with semicircular 
arches at the top. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

Of the Learning of the Anglo-Saxons. — The Clergy. 

1. When the Romans invaded Britain, they instructed and im- 
proved those whom they subdued. But darkness and desolation 
marked the course of the fierce and illiterate Saxons. 

2. As you may well suppose, Alfred was a liberal encourager of 
learning. He established many schools, and founded the University 
at Oxford. There had been a seminary at this place in more an- 
cient times, but the ravages of war had ruined it. 

3. There were many impediments to progress in learning in those 
days. Books were very scarce and dear, so that fcAV but kings and 
rich monasteries could afford to buy them. Alfred gave a great 
estate in land for a single volume on geography. 

4. Pajier Avas not yet invented, and parchment enough could not 
be had for a great supply of books. Neither Avas printing invented 
till a long time afterward, so that all books had to be written, and 
but fcAV peoi)le Avere acquainted Avith that art. There are a few 
Saxon manuscripts noAV remaining, and some of them are very 
beautifully Avritten. 

5. There Avas another difficulty in the Avay of acquiring know- 
ledge. There Avere no signs or characters to express numbers, except 
the Roman letters, I, V, C, D, M. The study of arithmetic Avas 
pronounced by Aldhelm to be almost too difficult for the mind of 
man. It was made easier by the use of the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, &c., 
wMch Avere invented by the Arabians, and introduced into England 
about the year 1130. 

6. This Aldhelm Avhom I have quoted AA'as a learned Saxon 
bishop, who lived in the seventh century. Alfred declared him to 
be the best of Saxon poets. He had a fine voice, and great skill in 
music as Avell as poetry. 

introducpd? 8. How was tlie example followed? 9. AVhat of the houses of the nobles ? 
10. AA'hat of Anglo-Saxon architecture? Describe the churches. 

XIA\— 1. What of the Saxon attention to learning? 2. AVhat did Alfred do for learn- 
ing? AVhat university did he found? 3. Wliat is said of books? 4. AA'hat of the 
Saxon mannseripts? 5. AVhat other difficulty in the way of acquiring knowledge? By 
whom were the present figures invented? When introduced into England? 6. What 



ALFRED ENCOURAGES THE ARTS. 35 

7. Observing the dislike of his countrymen to listen to regular 
instruction, he composed a number of little poems, which he sang 
to them at church, in the place of delivering a long sermon. He 
did this in so sweet a manner, that they were gradually instructed 
and civilized. 

8. What little learning there was, was confined to the clergy. 
The great body of these could do no more than read the Missal, as 
the Koman Catholic book of prayer is called. It is not uncommon 
to find in the ancient deeds a sentence like the following: "As my 
lord bishop could not write his own name, I have subscribed." 

9. At first, the clergy lived in large houses called monasteries, 
and were a society by themselves. These were generally sur- 
rounded by beautiful gardens, in which the inmates might take 
exercise. Such as were competent occupied themselves in teach- 
ing the young. To each monastery was attached a church in which 
was regular preaching. 

10. Besides these, there were no other churches in tlie kingdom, 
except the large ones at which the bishops attended, hence called 
cathedrah, of wliich there was one in each diocese, as the district is 
called of which a bishop has the care. 

11. When the monasteries were destroyed by the Danes, the 
clergy took refuge in the villages. Churches were built for them 
to preach in, separate from monasteries. After a time many of 
these priests married, and lived among their parishioners, as clergy- 
men do now. They became so much attached to their new homes, 
that when Alfred had rebuilt the monasteries, and wanted the old 
inhabitants to go back, many refused to return. 



CHAPTER XV. 



At/red encourages the Ai'ts. — About the English Navy. — Death of 
Alfred. — Reign of Edward the Elder. 

1. Alfred also took great pains to improve his subjects in tlie 
useful and ingenious arts, and invited many skilful foreign work- 
men to instruct them. The English goldsmiths soon became very 
expert. We have evidence of their skill in a golden ornament of 
very beautiful workmanship, which was found at Athelney, and 
which is supposed to have been worn by Alfred. 

2. Athelney was the place where he concealed himself in his 
distress, and where he sometimes resided in his prosperity. Tiic 
ornament is beautifully engraved with various figures, and bears 
this inscription in Saxon characters : " Alfred commanded me to 
be made." 

of Aldhelm? 7. What mode did he adopt to instruct the people? 8. Who possessed 
all the learuiug? What of their learning? 9. How did the clergy live at first? 10. 
What of the churches? What is a cathedral? What a diocese? 11. What change in 
their mode of life was caused by the Danes? 
XV.— 1. What did Alfred do for the arts? What of the skill of the goldsmiths? What 



36 



THE ENGLISH NAVY. 



3. But the workmen most highly regarded were the blacksmiths, 
because they could make swords, and other instruments of war. 
Every soldier of rank was constantly attended by his smith, to keep 
his arms in order. The chief smith was an oflicer of great dignity 
at court. At table he sfit next to the jsriest, and was entitled to a 
draught of every kind of liquor brought into the hall. 




ALFRED THE GREAT. 

4. Alfred was verj- desirous of creating a strong naval force, con- 
sidering that to be the surest defence against the Danes. But he 
had great difficulties to struggle with. His subjects knew nothing 
of ship-building, so he was obliged to get foreign ship-builders. 

5. In time his own subjects learned how to build ships, but there 
was a new ditticulty — he had no sailors. These were also procured 
from other countries, and at last a considerable fleet was got together. 

6. This fleet did not prove a very effectual del'ence, for the Danes 
coming in 330 vessels, under a famous leader named Hastings, suc- 
ceeded in landing in Kent. A long contest ensued. At length the 
wife and children of Hastings were taken prisoners. Alfred gave 
them back on condition that all the Danes should leave the country. 

7. The remainder of the reign of this truly great king was pros- 
perous. He lived beloved by his subjects, feared by his enemies, 
and admired by all mankind. The English — and, as their descend- 
ants, we — are indebted to the wisdom of Alfred for many very useful 
laws, and valuable rights. 



ovi(knco have we of it? 3. Who were the workmen most highly regarded? Wljy? 4. 
What is said of Alfred's navy? 6. What of a new attack by the Danes? 7. Wl.at valu- 



REIGN OF EDWARD THE ELDER. 37 

8. Amongst the rest, he instituted the right of trial by jury; that 
is, the right of being tried and condemned by twelve of our eqixals, 
before we are punished for any offence, or deprived of any estate or 
privilege. Something like this had existed among the Saxons from 
the earliest times, but Alfred first reduced it to a regular system, 
and secured it by positive laws. 

9. Alfred died in 901, in the forty-ninth year of his age. He was 
succeeded by his son Edward, surnamed the Elder, because he was 
the first king of that name in England. He was equal to his father 
as a warrior, but greatly inferior to him in science and literature. 
He had a sister named Ethelfleda, who was as fond of war as himself, 
and who assisted him in many enterprises. Edward died in 925. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Adventure of Aulaff. — The Long Battle. — Character of Athelstan. — 
His Death. 

1. Edward was succeeded by his eldest son, Athelstan. We 
have neglected to tell you that all these Saxon names have a 
meaning. Some of them were undoubtedly given for some personal 
peculiarity. 

2. Thus, Egbert means bright eye; and Alfred's wife's father was 
called 3Iuci, that is, large. Caprice appears to have dictated the 
choice of others, for as they were bestowed by the parents in infancy, 
little could have been known of the qualities of the bearers. Thus, 
we have Ethelred, noble in council; Edward, the prosperous guardian; 
Edwin, prosperous in battle, &c. Athelstan means the noble stone. 

3. The reign of Athelstan, like that of his father, was a continual 
conflict with the Danes. One of their generals, called Aulaff, tried 
the stratagem that had been practised with so much success by 
Alfred. He disguised himself like a minstrel, and went into 
Athelstan's camp. 

4. The king was much pleased with his music, and, thinking he 
was a poor boy, gave him a piece of money. Aulaff was too proud 
to keep it, and when he got out of the king's tent, and thought 
nobody was in si^ht, he buried it in the ground. 

5. It happened th:it a soldier saw him, and, thinking this very 
strange, examined the pretended minstrel's face, and knew him to 
be Prince Aulaff, but did not attempt to obstruct his departure. 
When the Danish prince had got to a safe distance, the soldier 
informed Athelstan of the discovery he had made. 

6. The king reproved him for letting such a dangerous enemy 
escape. " I once served Aulaff," replied the man, " and gave him 

able rifrht did Alfri^l secure to tlie people ? 9. Wlicii <Iid Alfred die? Who siK-ceeded 
him? Wliat is said of Edward tlie Eider? Wlien did lie die? 

XVI. — 1. Wlio succeeded Edward? AVhat is said of the Saxon names? 2. Give tlie 
meaning of some of them. .3,4, .5, 6. Relate tlie adventure of AulafT. 7. What followed 



38 CHARACTER OF ATHELSTAX. 

the same faith that I have now given to you ; and if I had betrayed 
him, what trust would you have reposed in my truth? Let him 
die, if such be his fate, but not through my treachery. Secure 
yourself from danger, and remove your tent, lest he should assail 
you unawares." 

7. Athelstan was pleased with the honest soldier's answer, and 
took his advice. It was well he did, for that very night Aulaff, 
with a chosen band, broke into the camp, and killed a bishop who 
had pitched his tent upon the spot where the king's had stood. 

8. The noise of the attack waked the Saxons, and the battle 
became general. It lasted all that night, and all the following day, 
and is distinguished in Saxon history by the name of the long battle. 
It ended in Athelstan's gaining a complete victory, which secured 
to him the peaceful possession of his kingdom. 

9. Athelstan is regarded as one of the ablest of the ancient princes. 
One law which he made certainly affords proof of liberality and 
enlargement of mind. He decreed that any merchant who had 
made three long sea-voyages on his own account should be ad- 
mitted to the rank of a thane. 

10. He was most courteous in his manners, and was much be- 
loved by his subjects. It is related that his hair was bright yellow, 
and that he wore it beautifully plaited. He died in 941, in the 
forty-sixth year of his age, and the sixteenth of his reign. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

How Edmund, a brave king, was murdered. — About Edred. — 
St. Dunstan. — Hoxv he resisted the temptations of the Devil. 

1. Edmund, a brother of Athelstan, succeeded to the throne. 
He was only eighteen years old. The Danes, whom Alfred had 
permitted to settle in Northumberland, had caused great trouble 
in the country. They M'ere continually rising in rebellion, and 
attempting to establish an independent government. 

2. Aulaff", whose adventure I have related to you, was now their 
prince. He had escaped from the long battle, and taken refuge in 
Ireland. The youth and inexperience of the king gave him hopes 
of better success in a new attempt. He collected a large army, 
which was totally defeated by the English under Edmund, and the 
whole country was reduced to submission. 

3. Edmund had displayed so much wisdom and courage, that there 
was every \\0]}e his reign would be a happy one, when a sudden 
end was put to it. He was sitting at a feast, with all his nobles 

it? 8. What is the battle -which succeeJed called ? 9. What of Athelstan ? What law 
did he make ? 10. When did he die ? 

XVII.— 1. Who succeeded Athelstan? What of the Northumberland Danes? 2, What 
of Aulaff? What was the success of his new attempt? 3, 4. Relate the manner of 



ABOUT ST. DUN8TAN. 39 

about hirrij when a notorious robber, named Leolf, whom he had 
banished from the kingdom, had the audacity to come into the hall, 
and take a seat at the table. 

4. The king ordered him to leave the room, but Leolf refused to 
obey. Enraged at this fresh insult, the king sprang from his seat, 
and, seizing him by the hair, threw him down. The robber, upon 
this, drew his dagger, and stabbed the king to the heart. Thus died 
this hopeful young prince, when he was only twenty-four years old, 
in the year 948. 

5. Edmund left two little sons, named Edwy and Edgar, but 
they were so young that Edred, his brother, was acknowledged as 
king. At the commencement of his reign the Danes again re- 
belled, but were speedily subdued. He took eftectual means to 
23revent their disturbing the peace of the kingdom. 

6. He no longer allowed them to be governed by a prince of their 
own race, but placed an E)nglish governor over them. English 
troo^is were fixed in all the ])rincipal towns. 

7. Edred would have led, on the whole, a quiet life, if he had not 
suffered himself to be governed by an ambitious priest called St. 
Dunstan. He was an Englishman, of noble family, who was edu- 
cated for the church. To acquire a character for sanctity, he se- 
cluded himself from the world. He had a cell made, so small that 
he could neither stand upright in it, nor stretch out his limbs when 
he lay down. 

8. Here he employed himself perpetually, either in devotion, or 
in making useful and ingenious things of iron and brass. Many 
foolish stories are told of the temptations to which he was subjected. 
He fancied tiiat the devil, assuming a human shape, made him fre- 
quent visits. 

9. One day, as he was busily at work, the devil popped his head 
into the window, and asked him to make something for him. St. 
Dunstan, soon finding out who it was, seized him by tiie nose with a 
pair of red-hot tongs, and held him there, whilst he bellowed most 
lustily. 

10. These, and a thousand other stories equally ridiculous, were 
seriously told, and implicitly believed by the people, and gained for 
Dunstan the reputation which he desired. He now appeared in the 
world again, and soon gained such an influence over Edred, that 
the king consulted him not only about matters of religion, but en- 
trusted to him the management of the aflairs of state. 

Ediinuid's doatli. 5. Who succeeded Edmund? 6. What means did he adopt to keep 
the Danes in subjection? 7. Who was Dunstan? What did lie do to acquire a reputa- 
tion? 8, 9. Wliat ridiculous stories ai'c related of him? 10. What was the consequence 
of these stories? 



40 



THE MONKS. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



About the Monks, and the Secular Clergy.— Story of Edwy and Elgiva. 
— How St. JDunsfau gained a great infiucnce 'with tile -people. 

1. Still further to increase his power and influence, Dunstan 
resolved to make an innovation in the churcli, as it existed in 
England. The change had already been made in other countries. 
This was by the introduction of a new order of clergy, called 
monks. 

2. These secluded themselves entirely from the world, and lived 
in monasteries. They were bound by a vow to live according to a 
certain system or rule. By this they were required to remain un- 
married, to be content Avith coarse fare, and hard beds. They were 
also bound to yield implicit obedience, in all things, to the head of 
the monastery, who was called the Abbot, or the Superior. 

3. The old clergy were called Seculars; and between the two 
bodies a furious contest at once arose, Avhich agitated the Avhole 
kingdom, and finally jn-oduced a civil war. The secular clergy 
were very numerous and rich, and possessed of all the offices in the 
church ; but Dunstan wielded all the power of the king, who had 
become indolent, and lielpless from ill health, and permitted him 
to do whatever he pleased. 

4. Edred died in 955. Edwy, the oldest son of Edmund, then 
succeeded to the throne. He was not above sixteen years old. He 
was possessed of virtues and abilities which would have made him 
a great favorite with the people, had he not, unhappilv, engaged in 
the religious disputes, and taken part with the secular priests, in 
opposition to the monks. 

5. An act of Edwy's was, by the cruelty and hard-heartedness of 
St. Dunstan, made the means of destroving not onlv the happiness, 
but also the life of that prince. Edwy had a beautilul cousin, El- 
giva, whom he loved very dearly, and whom he married. 

6. St. Dunstan, and Odo, another churchman completely under 
his control, declared it to be sinful for a man to marry his cousin, 
and did all they could to disturb their hajipiness. The king now 
called upon Dunstan to give an account of the money which he had 
received as treasurer of the kingdom. Being unable to do this. 
Dunstan was banished from the country. 

7. Though absent, he was not idle. "He excited Edgar, who was 
still a boy, to raise a rebellion against his brother, and as soon as 
he had assembled an army, joined him in person. Meanwhile, Odo 
contrived to seize on the poor queen, cruelly burned her face'with 
hot irons, in order to destroy her beauty, and then had her carried 
to Ireland, where she was kept a prisoner. 

^^"I^I-— 1- "What chiiiigL' dill St. Dunstan make in the cliurch 1 2. What is said of t)io 
iiioiiks? By wliom were they gcveniefl? 3. What were the old clergy called ? What 
IS said ot the two parties? 4. AVlien did Edred die? Who succeeded 'him? What of 
Kdwy? 5. What did Edwy do? 6. What did Dunstan decla)-e ? Why was he banished 
from the country? 7. What did Dunstan do? What became of Elgiva? 8. What of 



EDGAR THE PEACEABLE. 41 

8. The people regarded Dunstan as a saint, and their superstitious 
reverence was kept up by pretended messages from heaven. Cruci- 
fixes, altars, and even horses, were said to have been gifted with the 
power of speech, in order to harangue in his favor. 

9. By the assistance of these pretended miracles, which were fully 
believed by the people, the iiionks prevailed. Edwy was deprived 
of the larger part of his dominions. To complete his afflictions, his 
beloved Elgiva, having escaped from Ireland, got as far as Glouces- 
ter, on her way to join him ; there she was discovered by her savage 
persecutors, who put her to death. Edwy died of a broken heart, 
in 959. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Edgar the Peaceable. — Reign and Death of Edward the Martyr. 

1. Edgar, the next king, was only sixteen years old when he be- 
came sole sovereign of the whole kingdom, of a large portion of 
which his rebellious arms had before made him master. He "was 
completely governed by St. Dunstan, and other meddling monks, 
who, in return, wrote the history of his life, and 2:)raised him as the 
best king that ever lived. 

2. It is difficult to tell how much of their praise he deserved. 
They represent him not only as a great statesman, and a man of 
great abilities, but also as a saint and a man of great virtue. We 
know that he has no claims to the latter character, but that he was 
a consummate hypocrite, who, whilst he was falsely charging the 
secular clergy with various wickednesses, was himself guilty of the 
most enormous crimes. 

3. He seems, however, to have been an active prince, and to have 
governed liis kingdom with wisdom. Many good laws were made 
by him, and justice was so well administered, that travellers had no 
longer any fear (;f robbers. We are also told, as a i)roof of his 
power, that having occasion to pass by water from one j^lace to 
another, he was ro^\ed in his barge by eight tributary princes. 

4. It also appears certain that he attended diligently to the naval 
affairs of his kingdom ; he had so large a fleet, that the Danes never 
ventured to molest him. To make his sailors expert, he kept his 
ships constantly sailing round the island. 

5. Whilst he was totally regardless of his own morals, he was 
very careful about those of his subjects. Instead of setting them a 
good example, he endeavored to promote religion by laws. Amongst 

the feelings of the people? What aitifici'S were used to excite tlieir feelings? 9. Which 
party prevailed? What became of El.i;iva? When did Edwy die? 

XIX. — 1. Who succeeded Edwy? By whom was Edgar goverued? 2. What of the 
character of Edgar? 3. What of the state of the kingdom? What instance of his 
power? 4. What of the navy? 5. What law did he make? 6. What tribute did he 



42 REIGN AND DP^ATH OF EDWARD. A. D. 97). 

others, he ordained that every Sunday should be strictly observed, 
and should begin at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and end 
at sunrise on Monday. 

6. Wales, and a great jjart of England, were at this time infested 
by wolves. To get rid of them, Edgar commanded that instead of 
tlie annual tribute in money and cattle, which the Welsh kings were 
bound to pay him, they should bring three hundred wolves' heads 
yearly. This plan succeeded so well that in three years the whole 
race was nearly exterminated. 

7. After having reigned seventeen years, Edgar died in 975. His 
reign was so free from wars and tumults, that lie obtained the title 
of Edgar the Peaceable. He left two sons, Edward, the son of his 
iirst wife, and Ethelred, whose mother, Elfrida, was yet living. 

8. Elfrida was ambitious that her son should be king, instead of 
his half-brother; but the influence of that bustling priest, Dunstan, 
l)laced the crown on the head of Edward. This poor young man 
behaved kindly and gently to everylxxly, and very libeVally to his 
ambitious step-mother ; but this did not prevent her from contriving 
his death. 

p. One day, when he was hunting near Corfe Castle, in Dorset- 
shire, where Elfrida lived, he rode up to the castle, entirely alone, 
and unsuspicious of ill, to make the queen a passing visit. 'Elfrida 
received him with much ])retended kindness, and, as he declined 
dismounting, she })resented him with a cup of wine. 

10. While he was drinking, she stabbed him in the back. Edward, 
finding himself wounded, put spurs to his horse, and galloped off, 
but, becoming weak from loss of blood, he fell from his horse, and 
was dragged by the stirru]i till he was dead. 

11. As Elfrida was the head of the party opposed to the monks, 
they chose to consider Edward as having fallen in the cause of re- 
ligion, and styled him Edward the Martyr. They affirmed, and the 
superstitious people readily believed, that many'miracles were per- 
formed at his tomb. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Ethelred II. succeeds to the throne. — About Penance. — Indulgences. — 
The Butter Tower. 

1. Ethelred was only ten years old when the wickedness of his 
mother thus raised him to the throne. Being of an amiable disposi- 
tion, he was nuich affected by the death of" his brother, and shed 
many tears. This looked like a reproach to his mother, who became 
very angry ; nothing else being at hand, she seized a large wax can- 
dle and beat the poor boy almost to death. 



require of Wales? Wli.v? 7. Wlieii did he die? AVliat sons did he leave? 8. Who 

succeeded him ? 9, in. Relate the particulars of his death. 11. What was he surnamed t 

XX. — 1. How did Ethelred bear his brother's death? 2. What did his mother do? 



ABOUT PENANCE. — A. D. 975. 43 

2. It is said that Etlielred never forgot this beating, and that to 
the day of his deatli he could not bear the sight of a wax candle ! 
Though his wicked motlier had now obtained the object of her am- 
bition, she was, as we may well believe, anything but happy. 

3. In those superstitious times, when any one had committed an 
offence, instead of making amends for it by sincere repentance, and 
by repairing, to the utmost, the harm he had done, the monks used 
to persuade him that it could be completely atoned for by doing 
penance. 

4. To do penance was often to go barefoot, or to sleep on a hard 
board. The Saxons were very fond of bathing in warm water, but 
had a great aversion to bathing in cold water. One of the most 
common penances required of those who had been guilty of great 
sins was to abstain from the warm bath ; or, if they had been par- 
ticularly enormous, to substitute cold water for warm. 

5. To the rich these penances were of very little consequence, 
since they might always buy ofl' their punishments. For instance, 
if a rich man was ordered to fast ibr a week, as a ])enance, he was 
considered to have performed it, if he hired seven men to fast for 
one day. 

6. Indulgences, as they are called, were also to be bought ; that 
is, permission to commit crimes. It was against the rules of the 
established church to eat butter during the season of fasting called 
Lent ; and we have an account of a church at Eouen, in France, 
one of the towers of which is called the Butter Toiver, because it 
was built Avith money that was paid for indulgences to eat butter 
during Lent. 

7. liich sinnere were exhorted to build churches and monasteries, 
and to give them great revenues for the support of the monks, who 
pretended to pass their whole time in thinking of holy things, and 
in prayers, and they ju-omised that the benefactors of their respective 
societies should be constantly remembered in them. 

8. The ignorant and superstitious laymen were easily persuaded 
that the prayers of such holy men must be more efficacious than 
their own. In the course of time a veiy large portion of the 
property of the country came into the possession of the churchmen. 
This was so great an evil that laws were made forbidding any per- 
son to make gifts of land to the church. 

9. Elfrida founded monasteries, performed penances, and did all 
that the priests required, but none of these things could calm the 
upbraidings of her own conscience, or restore her peace of mind. 
At last she retired to a monastery, where she passed the remainder 
of her life in fasting and prayer. 

What of his mother? 3. How were offences atoned for in those times? 4. What are 
some instances of penance? 5. How did the rich perform tlieir penances? 6. Wliat 
were induljiences? What of the Butter Tower? 7. Wliat other things were recom- 
mended to the rich? 8. What was the consequence? 9. What further of Elfrida? 



44 THE DANES RENEW THEIR INCURSIONS. — A. D. 980. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Danes renexv their Incursions. — They are bribed with money to 
depart, but appear again the next year. — Peace at length made 
with them. 

1. It was now a long time since England had been troubled by 
incursions of the Danes. This was in part owing to the good state 
of preparation for defence in which the kingdom had been kept, 
and in part to the fact that the Danes found sufficient employment 
in anotlier quarter. 

2. A body of them, under the command of RoUo, had gained a 
settlement in France. They were called Northmen, or Normans, 
by the French, and the district of France in which they settled was 
hence called Normandy. This settlement em2)loyed all their super- 
fluous population for many years. 

3. In 980, a small band of adventurers landed ujjon the coast of 
England, and, after ravaging the country for some extent, escaped 
with their booty. These piratical incursions were continued for 
several years. 

4. Emboldened by their success, and encouraged by the dis- 
ti'acted state of England, if not by the direct invitation of Dunstan, 
or of his partisans tlie monks, for he himself died in 988, the Danes 
came in 991 with a great force. Ethelred had sufficient warning, 
and ample time to prepai-e, but yet had made no jn-ovision for 
defence. Hence he has been called Ethelred the Unready. 

5. The Danes advanced into the heart of the country, and Ethel- 
red was obliged to resort to the disgraceful expedient of paying 
them a large sum of money to go away. This, to be sure, at that 
time they did ; but it was only to return again the next year, in 

/ hopes of being again bribed. 

6. Ethelred was now better prepared, and would have destroyed 
their whole fleet, but for the treachery of one of his nobles, who 
deserted to the enemy, and gave them such information of the 
plans of the English as enabled them to escape with the loss of 
only one ship. 

7. In their next exjsedition, the Danes were commanded by 
Sweyn, their king. They remained two years, pillaging the country 
in various parts. They were at length induced to depart, by the 
gift of a very large sum of money. But the kingdom gained only 
one year's rest from these marauders, for they again returned, and 
were again bribed to leave the country. 

8. Sweyn had a sister named Gunilda, who was a woman, of great 
virtue and abilities. She was married to an English nobleman, and 

XXI.— 1. AVhat of the Danes? 2. How had they been occupied? 3. Wlien did they 
reappear in England? 4. When did Dunstan die: Wliat w-a,^ Ethelred called? Why? 
6. How were the Danes induced to depart? 6. What was their success the next year? 



MASSACRE OF THE DANES IN ENGLAND. — A. D. I(i02. 45 

had become a Christian. She had long beheld with grief and hor- 
ror the devastations committed by her countrymen. 

9. By her intercession, a treaty of peace was made between the 
English and the Danes. She offered herself, her husband, and her 
only son, as sureties for the fidelity of the Danes, whose repeated 
breaches of faith had rendered the English completely distrustful 
of them. 

10. As an additional protection, Ethelred married Emma, daugh- 
ter of Richard, Duke of Normandy, a descendant of Eollo. He 
was one of the most powerful princes of the time, and, besides, he 
was himself of Danish origin. There was no hardship in this, for 
Emma was the most beautiful princess in Europe. 



CHAPTER XXII, 

Massacre of the Danes in England. — Their death avenged b]/ Sweyn. — 
Reign of Edmund Ironside. — Canute the Dane conquers England. 

1. I CANNOT give you a better account of the condition of Eng- 
land than in the words of a report made to Sweyn by one of his 
officers: " A country naturally powerful; a king asleep, solicitous 
only about his pleasures, and trembling at the name of war ; hated 
by his people, and laughed at by strangers. Generals envious of 
each other; and governors ready to fly at the first shout of battle." 

2. But still the measui'es whicli had been adoi)ted might have 
secured peace to England, but for an act of barbarity, as unwise as 
it was wicked. In the year 1002, the king was persuaded by his 
counsellors to issue secret orders to his olficers, that on the 13th 
of November, which is the Feast of St. Brice, all the Danes in 
England should be murdered. The order was barbarously exe- 
cuted. Men, women, and children, I'ell indiscriminately in the 
general slaughter. 

3. Amongst the victims was the generous Gunilda. The mon- 
ster, to whose custody she and her family had been committed, first 
caused her husband and son, though they were English, to be mur- 
dered before her eyes. 

4. When the assassins ajijsroached her, she calmly represented to 
them the consequences of their conduct. She foretold the total ruin 
of England, from the vengeance which her brother, who was a great 
and powerful prince, and to whom she was very dear, would not 
fail to take. Never was prophecy better fulfilled. A few young 
Danes were fortunate enough to get on board a vessel, and, setting 
sail, soon reached their native country. 



7. Who cominanckil tlie next expedition? 8. What of Gunikia? 9. Wlio procured peace? 
WlKini did Etliclred nuirry ? What of the Duke of Normandy? 

XXII. — 1. \V)iat of England in tlio tim(! of Etlielrcd? •!. What liarbarons act did the 
king order? When was it executed? 3,4. What of Gunilda? 5. What did Sweyn do? 



46 DRESS AND AMUSEMENTS OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. — 1006. 

5. Sweyn, who had given up all thoughts of making further expe- 
ditions, was roused to fury by the news of his sister's death, so faith- 
lessly and ignominiously slain. Collecting a large army, he invaded 
England. After several years he succeeded in getting entire pos- 
session of the country, and was acknowledged as king. Ethelred, 
with his wife and two young sons, took refuge in Normandy. 

6. Sweyn died in 1013. As soon as Ethelred heard of his death, 
he went back to England, and conducted himself with such unex- 
pected activity and courage, that he compelled the Danes, with 
their young king, Canute, to return home. If Ethelred had been 
wise and prudent, he might now have re-established himself upon 
the throne, but his conduct was such as to alienate the aflection of 
his adherents. 

7. Canute now returned, and after the death of Ethelred, in 1016, 
compelled Edmund, his eldest son and successor, to divide the king- 
dom with him. Edmund survived this division only one month, 
when he was murdered by one of his own nobles, and Canute be- 
came sole king of England. The great personal courage and hardi- 
hood of Edmund have obtained for him the surname of Ironside. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

About the Dress and Amusements of the Anglo-Saxons. — The Gleemen. 

1. I WILL now tell you something about the dress and amuse- 
ments of the Anglo-Saxons. The tunic which they wore very much 
resembled in its shape the frock worn by our farmers and draymen. 
These tunics were bound in round the waist with a belt, and usually 
came no lower than the knee ; only kings and nobles wore them 
down to the feet. 

2. People of rank wore, over the other, a short tunic, or surcoat, 
made of silk, and richly embroidered and ornamented ; a linen shirt, 
shaped much like a modern shirt, was now an indispensable part of 
the dress of the rich. The poor wore no shirt, and had only a tunic 
made of coarse cloth. The slaves wore an iron collar round the 
neck, and were clad in tunics open at the sides. 

3. To judge by the pictures we have of the Anglo-Saxons, they 
appear generally to have gone bareheaded; though they occasion- 
ally wore fur caps. The hair was parted in the middle, and hung 
down on the shoulders in waving ringlets. The beard was shaven 
on the upper lip, and top of the chin; the rest grew long, was 
kept very smooth, and was usually divided in the middle and hung 
down in two points. 



What became of Etlielred? G. When did Sweyn die? Wliat did Ethelred then do? 7. 
When did Etlielred die? Who succeeded him ? Wliat of the kingdom? How did Ed- 
mund die? What is he surnamed? Who was now king of England? 

XXIII.^ — 1, 2. Describe the dress of tlie Arigbi-Saxon men. 3. What of the hair and 



THE GLEEMEN. — 1006. 47 

4. The ladles wore a linen under-dress, with long tight sleeves ; 
and over that a wide robe or gown, fastened round the waist by a 
belt, and long enough to conceal the feet. Their head-dress was a 
square piece of linen, or silk, so put on as to conceal the hair and 
neck, and showing only the tkce. 

5. Historians talk of their curls and crisping-pins ; but their pic- 
tures show us nothing but the face peeping through the folds of 
their cov&>-- chief ; and it ought to be remembered to the honorof 
the Saxon ladies, that while the men were continually_ adopting 
new fashions in dress, there was in three hundred years little or no 
change in that of the women. 

6. Both sexes wore mantles, more or less splendid, according to 
their rank, and a profusion of gold ornaments, fringes, and bracelets. 
I had almost forgotten to mention the stockings of the Saxon beaux. 
They were of gay colors, often red and blue ; at one time they cross- 
gartered their legs, as the Highlanders in Scotland still do. 

7. The Anglo-Saxon nobles spent most of their revenues in 
giving great feasts to their friends and followers. These feasts 
were more remarkable for their abundance than for their elegance. 
The meat was generally dressed by boiling. It would seem that 
they had no grates or "fire-places, but made a fire on the ground, 
and placed the kettle over it. 

8. At these feasts they sat on long benches, at large square 
tables, and every person took his place according to liis rank. 
But if any one took a higher place than he was entitled to, he 
was degraded to the l)otton'i of the table, and all the company had 
a right to pelt him with bones. 

9. These tables were set out with great nicety, and were covered 
with clean table-linen, and every person had a separate drinking- 
horn, — for there were no such things as glasses, — and his own mess 
of broth to himself. Tliey had knives and wooden spoons, but the 
luxury of forks was unknown. 

10. We have already told you that the Anglo-Saxons were very 
ignorant, and could neither read nor write. So you may suppose a 
great deal of their time hung heavily on their hands ; for of feasting, 
liunting, and fighting, there must be sometimes a cessation. In rainy 
weathex, and winter evenings, when they had played with their dogs, 
and sharpened their arrows, and brightened their spears, you may 
suppose they often did not know what to do with themselves. 

11. Anybody who could sing a song, or play on the harp, or tell 
an amusing story, was therefore much courted and valued; and 
this occasioned some persons to make it their business to learn all 
these accomplishments. Tliese persons, whom they called (jleemen, 
l)ut who are now usually called minstrels, used to rove about the 
country, from house to house, and from castle to castle, singing 
their songs, and telling their stories, which were commonly in verse, 
and everybody made them welcome, and was glad to see them. 

beard? 4, 5. VFhat of the ladies' dress ? 6. What of mantles? Stockings? 7, 8, 9. De- 
scribe their feasts, ami manners at table. 10. Occupation. 11, 12. Who were gleemen ? 
What made their companv accpptalih'? l.^. Whence the name backgammon? 



48 



ABOUT CANUTE THE GREAT. 



12. Even in times of war, when it was dangerous for other people 
to travel, tliey went everywhere without molestation ; for no one 
would hurt a poor gleeman, who was always so pleasant and so en- 
tertaining a guest. It was in the character of a gleeman that Alfred 
visited the Danish camp. 

13. Sometimes the Saxons amused themselves by playing back- 
gammon, which was invented by the Welsh, and called by them 
from two words in their language, back cammon, or little battle. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
About Canute the Great. — His Rebuke of his Courtiers. 




/-^;a^^^^^u>vw*i' 'i''.'^- 



CANUTE EMBRACING CHRISTIANITY. 

1. The English showed, at first, some repugnance to accept for 
their king a foreigner and an enemy ; but Canute, who was a wise 
and powerful prince, reconciled all their differences, and peaceably 
ascended the throne. The two little sons of Edmund were sent into 
Hungary, where the eldest died ; but the younger, named Edward, 
lived to grow up, and married Agatha, sister of the Queen of Hun- 
gaiy; you will hear of him again. 

2. To show his confidence in his new subjects, Canute sent almost 
all his Danish troops back to Denmark. He secured himself from 



XXIV.— 1. What became of the sons of Edmund? '2. TloWflul Camite show his con- 



ABOUT CANUTE THE GREAT. 



49 



any attempt on the part of tlie Duke of Normandy in favor of the 
sons of Emma, by marrying that widowed queen. 

3. Canute, though brought up a pagan, embraced Christianity, 
and his conduct Avas so wise and prudent that he has been called by 
historians Canute the Great. He was large in person, and veiy 
strong ; he was of«fair complexion, and distinguished for his beauty ; 
his hair was thick and long, and his eyes were bright and sparkling. 

4. England, under his government, enjoyed many years of tran- 
quillity. During this time Canute employed himself in making 
new laws, and in promoting the prosperity of the country. Poetry 
was the favorite art of the age, and Canute did not disdain the 
character of a poet; the first stanza of a poem written by him on 
hearing the monks of Ely singing, as he was passing by on the 
water, is still on record : 

5. Cheerful sang the monks of EI3', 
As Canute the king was passing by; 
Row to the shore, knights, said the king, 
And let us hear these churchmen sing. 

This poem was afterwards sung in the churches, which gives us a 
curious notion of the sacred poetry of those times. 







CANUTE REPROVING HIS COURTIERS. 



6. The manner in which Canute rebuked the flattery of his cour- 
tiers is worth relating. They had been extolling him as the greatest 



fidence in the English ? 3. What of Gmute ? 4. What of England during his reign I 
5 



50 REIGNS OF HAROLD IIAREFOOT AND OF HARDICANUTE. 

and most powerful king in the world, and added that it was im- 
possible for anything to resist his commands. Canute ordered his 
chair to be placed on the sea-shore while the tide was rising. 

7. As the waters approached, he commanded them to retire and 
to obey the voice of him who was lord of the ocean. He sat some 
time, pretending- to expect that the waves would obey ; but they 
continued to rise higher and higher, till they touched the king's 
feet, when, turning to his courtiers, who stood by wondering what 
it all meant, he made them observe, and acknowledge, that God 
alone was omnipotent. 

8. Canute received many of the English nobles into great favor. 
The chief of them was Earl Godwin, a powerful and ambitious man, 
who married his daughter, and whose son afterwards became king, 
as you will presently hear. Canute died in 1035, having preserved 
England in peace during the whole of his reign, a term of eighteen 
years. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Reigns of Harold Harefoot, and of Hardicanute. 

1. Canute left three sons ; Sweyn, Plarold, and Hardicanute. 
The succession to the throne of England had been settled on the 
latter, who was Queen Emma's son ; but he being in Denmark 
when his fatlier died, Harold seized on the crown, and took pos- 
session of the late king's treasures. Earl Godwin, and tlie greater 
part of the English, declared for H;ydicanute. 

2. The difficulty was settled by a division of the kingdom. It 
was agreed that the portion assigned to Hardicanute should l)e 
governed by Emma, until his return. Harold soon gained Godwin 
to his interests, by promising to marry his daughter, and to declare 
her children heirs to the crown. 

3. Two sons of Etlielred and Emma were yet living in Normandy, 
under the protection of their uncle. To get them into his power, 
Harold forged a letter in the name of Emma, earnestly inviting 
them to come to England, where, they were told, tliey would be 
received with joy by the people, and one of them acknowledged as 
king. Still further to deceive them, the letter Avas filled with abuse 
of Harold himself 

4. The letter was written so inuch in the style of their mother, 
that the princes were deceived. Alfred, the more active of the two, 
trusting himself with a few Normans on board some ships, sailed for 
England. Soon after landing he was met by Godwin, who professed 
the greatest friendship for him, and loaded him with caresses, 

5. Repeat a verse writti'n by Iiini. . 6, 7. Relate the anecdote of Canute rebuking his 
courtiers. 8. What of Earl Goilwiii ? When did Canute die? 

XXV. — 1. What happened in England upon Canute's death? 2. IIow were the diffi- 
culties settled? ."5. What of Harold's stratagem? 4, 5. Relate the particulars of the 



EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. 



51 



5. But the treacherous earl, taking advantage of his confidence, 
seized him in the niglit-time, and sent him to Ely, where he was 
either actually murdered, or died in consequence of the cruel treat- 
ment he suffered. 

6. As soon as Emma heard of his fate, she fled into Flanders, and 
Harold took possession of the whole kingdom. He did not, how- 
ever, long enjoy the fruits of his cruelty and ambition, for he died 
in 1039. He was remarkable for his swiftness in walking and run- 
ning, which obtained for him the name of Harold Harefoot. 

7. As soon as Hardicanute, who had joined his mother in Flan- 
ders, heard of the death of Harold, he came to England, and was 
received with joy by the people. But he soon lost the aftections of 
his subjects by his bad conduct. His violent government, however, 
did not last long, for he died in 1041, having shortened his life by 
intemperance. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Edward the Confessor. — Harold. — About the Conquest. 







QUEEN EMMA PASSING THE ORDEAL. 

1, The ill conduct of Harold and Hardicanute had disgusted the 
English with Danish sovereigns, and they now resolved to restore 
the Saxon line of princes. Edward, commonly called the Exile, 



death of Alfred? 6. What did Harold then do? When did he die? What was he sur- 
named? 7. Who succeeded Harold? When did Hardicanute di(!? 
XXVI. — 1. What led to the restoration of the Saxon race of kings? Who was the 



52 EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. 

that son of Edmund Ironside who, as we have already related, was 
taken care of by the King of Hungary, was the nearest heir to the 
crown. 

2. But he was so little known, and at so great a distance, that 
he was passed by, and Edward, called the Confessor-, which is syn- 
onymous with Saint, the son of Ethelred and Emma, was invited 
to ascend the throne. Edward, having a timid and unambitious 
disposition, did not desire to be king, but was prevailed on by Earl 
Godwin, now the most powerful person in the kingdom, to be 
crowned. 

3. The restoration of the Saxon line caused great joy throughout 
the kingdom, and was long celebrated by an annual festival, called 
Hokeday. Edward married Edgitha, daughter of Earl Godwin. He 
took oif a tax which had been first imposed by Ethelred to raise 
money to bribe the Danes, and hence called Danegelt. 

4. Edward, having been brought up by the Normans, had many 
favorites of that nation, who came flocking over to him, and were 
loaded by him with benefits. He likewise introduced the Norman 
fashion of wearing loose trowsers, and substituted the Norman title 
Baron, for the old Anglo-Saxon word Thane. 

5. The English nobles, and especially Earl Godwin, took great 
offence at the king's regard for the Normans. Their jealousies at 
length became so violent, that the king banished Godwin, and gave 
his possessions to Norman favorites. Even the queen, because she 
was the earl's daughter, was very harshly treated, and it is said that 
to clear herself from some charge, she was compelled to walk over 
red-hot ploughshares, which she did without being injured. 

6. Godwin assembled a large force, and compelled the king to 
restore to him his j^ossessions, and to banish the Normans, who left 
the country as quickly and as secretly as possible, to avoid being 
murdered by the populace. *' 

7. Godwin died soon after, as he was sitting at table with the 
king. Harold, his eldest son, was quite as ambitious as his father, 
and had set his heart on succeeding Edward, who had no children, 
on the throne. But the king, to defeat his ambitious designs, sent 
for Edward the Exile to come to England. 

8. The prince obeyed the summons, but died a few months after 
his arrival, leaving a little son, named Edgar Atheling, and two 
daughters, friendless orphans in a country from which he had him- 
self been banished forty years. His death strengthened the hopes 
of Harold, and on the death of Edward the Confessor, in 1066, he 
was crowned king. 

9. He did not find the throne a peaceable possession ; for William 
Duke of Normandy immediately asserted his right to it, under pre- 
tence that Edward had left him the kingdom in his will. To main- 

noarest heir? 2. Who was called to the throne? What of Edward ? 3. What of a fes- 
tival? Whom did Edward marry ? 4. Who were the favorites of Edward? What changes 
did he introduce? 5. What was the consequence? How was Godwin treated? How 
the queen? 6. What did Godwin do? 7. What of Harold, son of Godwin? Whom 
did Edward wish to be his heir? 8. Who was Edgar Atheling? When did Edward 
the Confessor die? W'ho succeeded Edward? 9. Who disputed Harold's possession? 



SAXON KINGS OF ENGLAND. 



53 



tain his claim, William went with a large army to England, where 
he landed on the twenty-eighth of September, 1066. 

10. On the fcnirteenth of October was fought the great battle of 
Hastings, a battle that completely changed the fate of England. 
Harold was killed by a wound in the eye from an arrow, and Wil- 
liam gained a complete victory. The result of this conflict threw 
the EngUsh into the utmost consternation. 




THE PEOPLE OFFERING THE THRONE TO WILLIAM. 

11. Some of the nobles assembled at London to deliberate on 
placing Edgar Atheling on the throne; but before they had time to 
come to a decision, William the Conqueror was at the gates. The 
greater part of the nobles, with Edgar Atheling at their head, went 
forth to meet him, and offered him the vacant throne, which he, 
with a little pretended hesitation, accepted. He was crowned at 
Westminster, on Christmas day, 1066, and thus was completed the 
Conquest of England, as it is called. 

TABLE OF THE SAXON KINGS OF ENGLAND. 



Began to i 
827 
836 

857 



871 
90] 



Reigned. 

9 . 

21 . 

3 . 

9 . 

5 . 

30 . 

24 . 



Egbert. 

Ethelwolf, son of Egbert. 

Ethelbald f ^°"^ ^^ Ethelwolf, reigned jointly till 

■cin. 11 t' \ the death of Ethelwolf. 

Ethelbert, 1 i> > , , • 

(^ then became sole king. 

Ethelred, son of Ethelwolf. 
Alfred, son of Ethelwolf. 
Edward the Elder, son of Alfred. 



Ethelbert 



10. When was the battle of Hastings fonght? What was the result? 11. What did the 
nobles do? When was William crowned? 

5 * 



64 



WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 



Began to reign 


Reigned. 


925 . 


16 . . 


941 . 


7 




948 . 


7 




955 . 


4 




959 . 


16 




975 . 


4 




979 . 


37 




1016 . 


1 




1017 . 


18 . 


1035 . 


4 . 


1039 . 


2 . . 


1041 . 


27 . 


1066 . 







Athelstan, "| 

Edmund, > sons of Edward. 

Edred, J 

-r, , •'' [ sons of Edward. 
Edgar, J 

Edward the Martyr, 1 „ ^ „r. t;ij„„„ 

T-.1. 1 1 11 TT 1 f sons 01 Edgar. 

Ethelred the Unready, J ^ 

Edmund Ironside, son of Ethelred. 

DANISH KINGS. 

Canute the Great. 
Harold Harefoot, 
Ilardicanute, 



sons of Canute. 



SAXON LINE RESTORED. 

Edward the Confessor, son of Ethelred. 
Harold, son of Earl Godwin, usurped the throne, 
though Edgar Atheling, grandson of Edmund Iron- 
side, was the natural heir. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

William I., surnamed the Conqueror. — The Saxon Nobles degraded. 







CROWNING OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 

1. William the Conqueror was of middle height, and stoutly) 
made, with great strength of body. He had a stern countenance, 



XXVII.— 1, 2. What is said of William the Conqueror? 3. What is said Of his first 



THE SAXON NOBLES DEGRADED. 55 

and was a shrewd, clear-headed man. We can easily believe him 
to have been of a grave and thoughtful temper, for we cannot find 
that he ever indulged in any gayeties or amusements, except hunt- 
ing, of which he was particularly fond. 

2. It is also said that he never admitted any one to intimacy or 
familiarity. He had a few favorites, and those were well chosen, 
which was a strong proof of his wisdom. He was considered re- 
ligious, being very exact in the performance of all religious observ- 
ances. He certainly showed great instances of generosity, but 
ambition was his ruling jjassion. 

3. William began his reign with so much prudence and modera- 
tion, that his new subjects thought they had great reason to be sat- 
isfied. But whilst he treated them with seeming confidence and 
friendship, he took care to place all real power in the hands of the 
Normans. He everywhere disarmed the Saxons. He built fort- 
resses in all the principal cities, and placed Norman soldiers in 
them. 

4. Still he professed the greatest regard for the rights and laws 
of his English subjects. By this mixture of lenity and rigor, he so 
subdued and quieted the minds of the people, that he ventured to 
visit his native country within six months after he left it. The 
chief of the English nobles accompanied him. 

6. These made a display of wealth and magnificence wdiich quite 
astonished the foreigners. A Norman historian, who was present, 
speaks with admiration of the beauty of their jiersons, the costly 
workmanship of their silver plate, and the elegance of their em- 
broideries : arts in which the English then excelled. 

6. It now became evident that the English were only kept in 
subjection through fear of the Conqueror. No sooner were they 
relieved from his presence, than they made an effort to regain their 
liberty. William hastened back to England, and, by his vigorous 
measures, disconcerted the plans of the rebels. 

7. Many years were passed in unavailing struggles on the jiart of 
the English to throw off the Norman yoke. The king, regarding 
them as inveterate enemies, endeavored to reduce them to a condi- 
tion in which they should no longer be formidable to his government. 

8. The nobles were degraded from their rank, and stripped of the 
greater part of their possessions. The clergy were also deposed, and 
their places supplied by foreigners. Amongst the new-comers was 
one at least worthy of being remembered. 

9. This was Lanfranc, an Italian, who wste made archbishop of 
Canterbury, who, by his wisdom and i)rudence, and influence over 
the king, which he employed in moderating the violence of his tem- 
per, proved himself to be one of the best friends of the poor dejected 
English. 

10. During these troubles, Edgar Atheling had taken refuge 
with Malcolm, King of Scotland, who married Margaret, one of his 



measures? 4,5. AVliat of the English nobles? 6. What did the Englisli do in his 
absence? What did William do? 7. Uow did William treat the English? 8. What of 
the nobles? What of the clergy? 9. What is said of Lanfranc? 10. What became 



66 



GAME LAWS ESTABLISHED. 



sisters, and warmly espoused the cause of the Anglo-Saxons. He 
marched into England with an army, but William soon obliged 
him to retreat. 

11. In 1071, Malcolm being about to make a second attempt to 
place Edgar on the throne of England, William marched against 
him with a large force. The two armies met on the borders of 
Scotland, and a battle was about to ensue, when the two kings 
made peace with one another. 

12. One of the conditions was that Edgar should be given up to 
William, who promised, if he would renounce all claim to the 
throne of England, to give him a mark a day — a little more than 
three dollars — which was considered a very handsome allowance in 
those days. Edgar assented to these terms, and both he and Wil- 
liam remained true to their agreement. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Game Latvs established.— Rebellion of Robert.— He is besieged by his 
Father. — Interesting Incident during the Siege. — The Domes-dag 
Book. — Death of William I. 




FIGHT BETWEEN ROBKKT AND HIS FATHER. 

1. We have already stated that William was veiy fond of hunt- 
ing. He made many very severe laws against those who interfered 
with his favorite amusement. A person who killed a deer or a boar, 



of Edgar Atheling? Whom did Malcolm marry? 11, 12. What was the result of Mal- 
colm's second attempt? 
XXVni.— 1. What laws did William make? 2. What of the New Forest? 3. What 



EEBELLION OF ROBERT. 57 

or even a hare, was punished much more severely than one who 
killed a man. 

2. Not content with the large forests which the former kings had 
possessed, he drove the inhabitants of more than thirty villages 
from their homes, and reserved this large district as a habitation 
for wild beasts, calling it the New Forest. 

3. This king enjoyed but little repose. First a conspiracy among 
his Norman nobles threatened his life, and afterwards the rebellion 
of his eldest son, Robert, kept his Norman dominions for many 
years in a state of disturbance. This prince had long been jealous 
of the king's affection for his two younger brothers, but a trifling 
incident caused him to rise in ojien rebellion. 

4. The three princes, with their father, who happened to be in 
Normandy, were residing at a certain castle. One day, as Robert 
was passing through the court-yard, after having been frolicking 
with his younger brothers, they sportively threw some Avater upon 
him, from the window. 

5. Robert would have taken it as a continuance of the fun, but 
for the evil suggestions of one of his attendants, who had personal 
grounds of offence with the younger princes and their father. He 
persuaded Robert that it was intended as a public insult, which he 
ought to resent. 

6. The passionate youth, drawing his sword, rushed up stairs, 
determined to be revenged on his brothers. The whole castle was 
filled with tumult, which the king himself could hardly appease. 
Robert, having received, as he thought, no atonement for the insult, 
lett the castle that very night, and openly declared war against 
his father. 

7. Robert was veiy popular among the Normans, and they joined 
his standard in great numbers. But after a hard struggle, he was 
driven out of Normandy, and took refuge in Serberoy, a small 
castle belonging to the King of France, to which AVilliam imme- 
diately laid siege. 

8. The garrison sallied out, headed by Prince Robert, Avho 
selected for his antagonist a kriight who appeared in front of the 
besiegers, in complete armor, and having his face covered with the 
visor of his helmet. The furious assault of the prince overthrew 
his antagonist, horse and man. His lance was already at the 
throat of the fallen knight to take away his life, when, by the 
voice, he discovered that he was about to kill his own father. 

9. His remorse and horror at the thought that he was near being 
guilty of so fearful an act, subdued in a moment his rebellious feel- 
ings. Springing from his horse, he threw himself upon his knees 
in an agony of grief, and begged forgiveness for his offences, oflfer- 
ing to make any atonement. 

10. William was too angiy to forgive him ; after reproaching 
him bitterly, he departed for his own camp, on Robert's horse, 
which that prince assisted him to mount. It was a long time 

caused disturbance to the king? 4, 5, 6. Relate the incident that was the immediate 
cause of the rebellion. 7. What was the result of the war? 8, 9, 10. Kelate the occur- 



58 STATE OF ENGLAND AFTER THE NORMAN CONQUEST. 

before he would listen to Robert's contrite entreaties. At last, 
Queen Matilda, who was a very good and pious woman, prevailed 
with the king to pardon his son. 

11. William had now a little leisure, of which he took advantage 
to have a survey made of his English kingdom. The record of the 
survey was made in a book called Domes-day Book, which is yet 
preserved in the Tower; and all possessors of estates who are 
curious to know to whom their land belonged at the Conquest, 
whether it Avas ploughed land or pasture, what was then its value, 
and, in some cases, what cattle it was stocked with, may there get 
information of all these matters. 

12. One would have thought that, after all his turmoils, William 
would have been glad to have passed the latter part of his life in 
repose; but, on the contrary, upon some trifling quarrel with 
Philip I. of France, he led an army into that country, destroying 
and laying waste everything that came in his way ; every town or 
village through which he passed was reduced to ashes. 

13. This cruelty brought on him its own punishment; for, after 
burning the town of Mantes, his horse, flinching from the smoking 
ashes, made a violent plunge, and the king, being very corpulent, 
got a bruise which caused his death on the ninth of September, 1087. 
He was in the sixty-third year of his age, and had reigned twenty- 
one years in England. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

State of England after the Norman Conquest. — The English Language. 

1. It may be useful to pause and contemplate the state of Eng- 
land after the Normans had established their power. The highest 
in rank after the king were the Norman barons, who were made 
rich and powerful by the spoils of the Anglo-Saxon nobles. The 
next class was composed of Norman soldiers, who had helped to 
achieve the Conquest, and who settled as tenants on the lands that 
had been given to their leaders. 

2. With this class gradually became blended the old Anglo- 
Saxon thanes, or nobles, and also the Anglo-Saxon eorls, or 
farmers, who, if they had never taken up arms against the Con- 
queror, were allowed, on putting themselves under the protection 
of some Norman baron, to live unmolested. 

3. It was not till long after William and his followers were all 
dead and gone, that the descendants of the two nations could endure 
each other ; the Normans holding in contempt the stupid, ignorant 
Saxons, and the Saxons detesting their tyrannical ojapressors. 

rence that led to the submission of Robert. 11. What is the Domes-day Book ? 12. 
What new war did William engage in? 13. What caused his death? When did he die? 
AVhat was his age ? What the length of his roign? 

XXIX.^1. How was the land distributed after the Conquest? 2. What was the con- 
dition of the Saxon nobles and farmers ? 3. What feelings existed between the Normans 



THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 59 

4. The lowest rank of the people had few, if anj^, rights of their 
own. There were some free laborers who worked for hire, as men 
do now ; but the great proportion of the lower class were slaves. 
In towns there was another class of people, called Burghers. These 
were merchants, or tradesmen, who joined together in little socie- 
ties ; but in the time of William I. they were not a numerous, or at 
least not a powerful, body. 

5. As a part of his plan for reducing the Anglo-Saxons to com- 
plete subjection, William used every means to introduce the Nor- 
man or French language into England, and to eradicate that of the 
Anglo-Saxons. He altered many of the old Saxon laws, and estab- 
lished new ones in their stead, which were all written in Norman 
French ; and he ordered that law business should be carried on in 
that language. 

6. He also required that French instead of Saxon should be taught 
in the schools. But it is easier to conquer a kingdom than to change 
a language ; and after an ineft'ectual struggle, which lasted three 
(H'uturies, the Saxon got the better at last, and, Avith some inter- 
mixture of Norman, forms the basis of our own language. 

7. Even the Norman words we retain are often so altered by our 
way of pronouncing them that a Frenchman would not recognize 
them. Thus many people are sadly puzzled to find any meaning in 
the words " yes,'' with which the crier of our courts commences 
his proclamations ; for tliey do not know that the crier's yes is a 
corruption of the old Norman word " Oyez'' — "Hear ye." 



CHAPTER XXX. 

The Feudal System. — Description of a Norman Castle. 

1. The lands which William took from the Anglo-Saxons, he 
bestowed on his Norman barons, upon condition that they should 
always be ready to attend him in battle. They were called the 
king's vassals. The barons distributed their lands among their own 
followers on the same condition, and thus these became the vassals 
of the barons. These again had others under them, who hold them 
on the like terms. 

2. Thus, whenever the baron marched to war, his vassals marched 
with him. This sort of bond between the king and his barons, and 
the barons and their retainers, was called the Feudal System.. It 
had its origin upon the continent, and had been long established in 
France, before William introduced it into Britain. 

3. The barons lived like so many little kings, each in his own 
castle, with his train of followers, who bore pompous titles, similar 
to those of the officers of the royal court. This haughty seclusion 

and Saxons? 4. What of the lowest class of people? Who were the Burghers? 5, 6. 
What did William do in reference to the language? With what ultimate success? 

XXX. — 1. How were the lands of Britain distributed? 2. What was the s.vstem of 
holding lands called? 3. How did the barons live? 4. What difference between the 



60 



DESCRIPTION OF A NORMAN CASTLE. 



gave great offence to the Saxon nobles, who were remarkably social 
and convivial in their habits. 




A NOKMAN CASTJLK. 



4. The}' did not care for the shabbiness of their own dwellings, 
which were only built of wood, and thatched, if they could but eat 
and drink, and have merry-makings ; while the Normans, on the 
contrary, were frugal in their manner of living, but very extrava- 
gant in their buildings. 

5. These, however, were comfortless, gloomy dwellings. In order 
to convey an idea of an ancient castle of this period, we may de- 
scribe that of Rochester in England, which, though a mere ruin, is 
one of the most perfect now remaining. There is a lofty toAver, 
standing in a garden, surrounded on all sidcvS by high walls, or at 
least the remains of high walls. 

6. The tower was called the keep, in which the baron and his 
family lived, and in which all the stores and arms and valuable 
things were kept. Under the keep was the dungeon for prisoners. 
The chapel also stood in this enclosure, the whole of which was 
called the hiner baUey. In one corner of the walls is a little ruin- 
ous tower, through which there is an entrance. 

7. Without this garden is another enclosure, taking a larger cir- 
cuit which may still be traced by the remains of thick solid walls, 
with towers at different distances. The space between the outer 
and inner walls was called the outer baVeij, and here were the lodg- 
ings for the soldiers, the stables, and the workshops of the black- 
smiths, carpenters, and other artificers. 



Normans and Saxons? 6, 6, 7, 8, 9. Give an account of a castle. What was the keep? 
What the inner bailey? What the outer bailey? What the postern ? 



WILLIAM RUFU8. 61 

8. There was generally a small and concealed entrance to the 
castle, by which the lord might go secretly in and out. This was 
called the postern. Rochester Castle is now but the shell of a build- 
ing, so that we can only conjecture that the two rooms in the cen- 
tre part, which have ornamented fireplaces, and pillars on the walls, 
were the state apartments ; and that the sleeping-rooms were the 
little dark recesses, which are to be seen as you go up the winding 
stairs that lead to the battlements. 

9. These rooms of state were in the third story, and have great 
windows, which, however, were placed high in the lofty apartments, 
to secure the occupants against weapons discharged from without. 
The two lower stories had no windows, but were lighted merely by 
loop-holes. Such was a Norman castle of the twelfth centurj'. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

William Hufus. — Quarrels between the Sons of William the 
Conqueror. — Instances of their Generosity. 

1. William the Conqueror left three sons. To Robert, the eld- 
est, he devised Normandy ; the crown of England he gave to Wil- 
liam, and to the third, named Henry, he left the fortune of his 
mother, Matilda. 

2. William was twenty-seven years old when he became king. 
He resembled his father in the sternness of his countenance, as well 
as in his great bodily strength and activity. His hair was red, on 
which account he obtained the surname of Rujm. He stammered 
in his speech, especially when he was angiy, which, if historians 
are to be believed, was very often. 

3. He was brave in war, but had not any of the great or good 
qualities of his father ; for he was irreligious, and a lover of low 
company and deep drinking. He was very passionate, and had no 
principles, either of honor or honesty. 

4. His father was scarcely dead, when he set out for England, to 
secure the inheritance which was left him, and to seize ujjon the 
royal treasures. The Anglo-Norman barons were very sorry to 
have him become king, and engaged in a rebellion, to place his 
elder brother, Robert, on the throne. 

5. William Rufus now found it convenient to make friends with 
the Anglo-Saxons, and he promised to restore many of their rights 
and privileges. By their help he speedily subdued the rebellion of 
the barons, but he never remembered to fulfil his fair pledges to 
those who had aided him. 

6. William and Robert never agreed but upon one occasion, and 
then they joined to oppress Henry. His inheritance had been 

XXXI. — 1. How did the Conqueror dispose of liis dominions? 2, 3. What is said of 
William? Why called Rufus? 4,5. By whose assistance did he put down the rebel- 
lion of the barons? 6,7,8. On what occasion did Robert" and William agree? Relate 



62 ABOUT THE CRUSADES. 

left to him in money. Robert, who was A'ery extravagant, had been 
glad to sell a part of Normandy to him, and now, in concert with 
William, sought to deprive him of it. 

7. Henry would not tamely give it up, and, with a small number 
of men, retired to a strong castle, called St. Michael's Mount, where 
he was closely besieged by the united forces of his brothers. He 
was nearly reduced by the scarcity of water, when Robert, hearing 
of his distress, granted him permission to supply himself, and also 
sent him some barrels of wine for his own use. 

8. Being reproved by William for this generosity, Robert replied, 
" What, shall I suffer my brother to die of thirst? Where shall we 
find another when he is gone ?" The king also performed an act of 
generosity, which, from his character, was not to be expected of him. 

9. Riding out alone one day to take a survey of the fortress, he 
was attacked by two soldiers, and thrown from his horse. ' One of 
them drew his sword, and was about to kill him, when the king ex- 
claimed, " Hold, knave ! I am the King of England." The soldier 
suspended his blow, and raised the king from the ground with many 
expressions of respect. For his forbearance, the man received a 
handsome reward, and was taken into the king's service. 

10. Henry was soon after obliged to surrender, and having thus 
lost everything, he, with a few faithful followers, who would not 
forsake him in his distress, wandered from place to place, often in 
want of food, and always without a home. 



CHAPTER XXXH. 

The Omsades. 

1. It had long been considered an act of great piety to make a 
pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to visit our Saviour's sepulchre. At the 
decline of the Roman power, Jerusalem had fallen into the hands 
of the Saracens, who were not only the bravest, but also the most 
civilized people of Asia, at least of those who had intercourse with 
Europe. 

2. While the Saracens remained masters of the Holy City, the 
Christian pilgrims were jiermitted to pay their devotions unmolest- 
ed. About the year 1065, the Turks, who were at that time a very 
ignorant and brutal people, became masters of Jerusalem, and 
treated the pilgrims with great cruelty, and endeavored to prevent 
their visiting the sepulchre. 

3. One of these pilgrims, called Peter the Hermit, though only 
a poor priest, made himself more famous than the most powerful 
king of his time. On his return from the Holy Land, inflamed by 
religious zeal, and by resentment against the Turks, he went about 

the instance of Robert's generosity. 9. What of the king? 10. What became of 
Henry ? 

XXXII. — 1. What is said of ijilgrimages? 2. When did the Turks take Jerusalem? 
What was the consequence ? 3. What did Peter the Hermit do ? 4. What inducements 



ABOUT THE CRUSADES. 



63 



from country to country, exhorting the princes and nobles to go 
and fight the pagans, and drive them from Jerusalem. 




FIGHT BETWEEN THE CRUSADERS AND TURKS. 

4. The pope entered warmly into the cause. He promised a 
complete forgiveness of their sins, however enormous they might 
be, to all such as should go on this holy expedition. Various tem- 
poral advantages were offered as inducements. Those who had 
borrowed money were to pay no interest for it during the time 
they were absent, and the poor debtor was discharged from all his 
debts by assuming the cross, as it was called. 

5. Every jjerson who engaged in the enterpi-ise had a piece of 
red cloth in the form of a cross sewed ujDon the left shoulder of his 
cloak. Hence it was called a crusade, and those who engaged in 
it were called crusaders. 

6. The French entered most zealously into the cause, and we 
must refer the reader to the history of that country for a full ac- 
count of the seven great expeditions which left Europe to fight 
against the Infidels, in the whole of which the French acted a lead- 
ing part. We will not burden our present history by a repetition 
of the whole details, but in the following chapters shall speak of 
those only in which the English were conspicuous. 

7. It may be necessary to remind the reader that the Crusaders 
took the city of Jerusalem, and retained possession of it for about 
one hundred years, when it was reconquered by Saladin, a distin- 
guished king and general of the Saracens. 

8. The rage for crusading continued from the time of Peter the 
Hermit, in 1096, till 1291, a period of nearly two hundred years: 
during which Europe was drained of her wealth, and many millions 
of lives were sacrificed, without accomplishing the proposed object. 



were held out by the pope? 5. Whence the name crusade, and crusaders? 7. How long 
did Jerusalem remain in the power of the Christians? Who took it from them ? 8. How 



64 



WILLIAM RUFUS. 



9. But still some good arose out of all the evil. The Saracens 
were very superior to the Europeans in their knowledge of the sci- 
ences, such as mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, &c., and also in 
many of the arts and elegancies of life. Much of this learning was 
brought home by the crusaders. The Europeans have been im- 
proving, and gaining knowledge ever since ; but the Turks, and all 
the people of the East, have either stood still or gone backward. 

10. There are some travels in the East written about the year 1440, 
by De Brocquiere, grand carver to the Duke of Burgundy, and you 
might suppose them written only last year ; the manners of the 
people, as he describes them, being in every particular precisely- 
the same as they are now said to be by travellers of our own time. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

William obtains large Territories by Mortgage. — His Death. 




DEATH OF WILLIAM BUFUS. 



1. As might have been expected from his character, Robert of 
Normandy engaged most zealously in the Holy War. To procure 
money for the expedition, he lent or mortgaged his territories for 
tive years to his brother William, for a very large sum. 

2. William raised the money, though not without some difficulty, 
and then, very much delighted with his bargain, took possession of 
Normandy. He did not find it a very quiet dominion; for it in- 



long did the rage for crusading last? 9. What good resulted from the crusades? 10, 
Wh.at of the manners of the people of the East? 

XXXIIl. — 1. How did Robert raise money for the crusades? 3. Who else mortgaged 



DEATH OF WILLIAM RUFUS. 65 

volved him in continual wars with the King of France, in which 
sometimes the French, and sometimes the Normans, had the ad- 
vantage. 

3. The Duke of Guienne also proposed to mortgage all his 
dominions to William, who accepted the offer. But before he 
could take possession, all his plans of ambition were brought to a 
sudden end. Whilst he was waiting for a fair wind to sail for 
France, he used to amuse himself by hunting in the New Forest. 

4. One day, as he sat at dinner, six arrows, very long and sharp, 
were brought to him. Keeping four himself, he gave the other two 
to Sir Walter Tyrrel, a Norman knight, saying, " Here, Tyrrel, take 
your two, for you know well how to use them." 

5. After dinner they started oft" together for the forest. Anxious 
to show his dexterity, Tyrrel let fly an arrow at a stag which sud- 
denly started before him ; the arrow hit a tree, glanced and struck 
the king on the breast, and he instantly expired. 

6. Tyrrel did not stop to tell anybody of the accident, but put- 
ting spurs to his horse, hastened to the sea-coast, and embarked for 
France, where he joined the crusaders in the expedition to Jeru- 
salem, as a penance for his involuntary crime. 

7. The body of the king was found by some laborers, and car- 
ried in a coal-cart to Winchester, where it was buried the next day 
without pomp. The death of William occurred in the year 1100, 
in the fortieth year of his age, and the thirteenth of his reign. He 
was never married. 

8. There is one memorial of William II., which is still an object 
of admiration. This is Westminster Hall, in London, which he 
built ; it is a noble structure, and contains one of the largest rooms 
in Europe. He also built the Tower of London, or rather he en- 
larged and strengthened a small fortress, which had been erected 
by the Conqueror, to keep the citizens in good order. 

9. The Tower has been the scene of many memorable events. It 
has always been used as a prison for the confinement of persons 
accused of oifences against the state, such as rebels, and others 
who in any way attempt to disturb or interrupt the government. 
But it has in modern times been much more interesting to most 

f)ersons, as the place in which the king's rnenagerie, or collection of 
ions, tigers, and other wild animals, has been kept. 

10. We ought to mention as one of the remarkable occurrences 
of this reign, that the Norwegians made an incursion into England 
in 1098. This was the last attempt on that country by any of the 
northern nations. Those restless people learned about this period 
the art of tillage, which pro^^ded them with food, and gave them 
occupation at home; this freed the rest of Europe from their 
piratical invasions. 



their territories to William? 4, 5, 6. Relate the particulars of William's death. 7. 
When did It happen ? How old was he? How lung had he reigned? 8. What memorial 
of William remains ? What of the Tower of London ? lu. What of the incursions of the 
Norwegians ? 

6* 



66 HENRY I. USURPS THE CROWN. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Henry L, surnamed Beauckrc, usurps the Crotvn. — Dispute between 
the Pope and the King. — Anselni, Archbishop of Canterbury, 
jireaches against certain Fashions of Dress. 

1. The news of the king's death soon reached the rest of the 
royal hunting party, who, in the pursuit of game, had become 
sejaarated from their master. Henry, the conqueror's youngest 
son, was one of these, and, instead of showing any concern at his 
brotlier's death, or even waiting to see his body borne away from 
the spot where it fell, he jiut spurs to his horse, and rode directly 
to Winchester, where he seized on the royal treasure. 

2. He then hastened to London ; and, by great gifts, and many 
I)romises, disposed the people so much in his favor, that within 
three days after his brother's death, he was crowned king, in viola- 
tion of the right of his brother Robert, who had not yet returned 
from the Holy Land. 

8. Henry was of middle height, and well made ; he had an agree- 
able countenance ; his hair was brown, and very thick and bushy. 
He had received what was considered in those days a learned educa- 
tion, and, from having performed the great work of translating vEsop's 
Fables, he acquired the surname of Beauclerc, or the Good Scholar. 

4. His character was made up of an extraordinary mixture of 
good and bad qualities. He was brave, eloquent, and extremely 
pleasing in his mannere ; he governed the kingdom with so much 
wisdom, and caused justice to be administered witli so much im- 
partiality, that, in spite of his ambition, his avarice, and his wicked 
conduct to his brother Robert, and that brother's son, William, the 
English esteem him as among the best of their kings. 

5. The Normans would naturally supi)ort the claim of Robert to 
the crown of England ; as a matter of policy, thei'efore, Henry 
courted the favor of his Anglo-Saxon subjects. He granted them 
a charter of privileges, or, more propei'ly speaking, he restored 
Edward the Confessor's code of laws, to which that people were 
much attached. 

G. He tried to conciliate the church by recalling Anselm, Arch- 
bishoj) of Canterbury, who had been banished by William II., for 
refusing to admit the king's authority to invest him with some of 
the riglits of the ai'chbishopric, he considering that authority to 
belong exclusively to the pope. 

7. Before bishops took })ossession of their dignities, there had 
tbrmerly been two ceremonies performed ; they received from the 
hands of the sovereign a ring and a ci'osier — which was originally 
a staff, like a shepherd's crook, having the head bent — as symbols 

XXXIV.— 1. What did Henry do, wlien he heard of his biother's death ? 2. What was 
his success? Who was the rightful heir to the crown? 3. What is said of Henry I.? 
What was he surnamed? Wliy ? 4. What of his character? 5. What course did 
lleiiiy pursue from policy? 6. Wliat dispute had arisen between the king and the 



ABOUT THE CLERGY. 1100. 67 

of their office, or spiritual power ; and this was called the investi- 
ture. 

8. But as they also held great possessions in land, they made 
those promises and submissions to the king which were required of 
vassals by the feudal law, and this Avas caUcd doing homage. In 
obedience to orders from the pope, the i:)riests, not only in England, 
but in all countries where the Roman Catholic religion prevailed 
(that is, in nearly all Christian countries), refused either to receive 
investiture from the sovereign, or to do homage to him. 

9. The sovereigns stoutly resisted this claim ; but such was the 
influence of the church over the minds of the sujDerstitious people, 
that upon the continent of Europe the pope prevailed to the full 
extent of his claim. Henry was glad to make a compromise ; he 
resigned the right of granting investiture, but was allowed to re- 
tain the homage. 

10. We have before told you that the clergy were divided into 
two parties ; the monks, or regular clergy, and the secular clergy. 
Though the monks prevailed and obtained all the dignities of the 
churches, the secular clergy still exercised the duties of the parish 
priests in the villages. 

11. It will be recollected that the monks were not allowed to 
marry. Having no domestic ties to excite and keep alive their 
kindly feelings, many of them became hard, unfeeling bigots. 
Anselm was a monk, and seems to have been wanting in common 
humanity ; for by his influence a law was made, obliging such of 
the secular priests as were married to put away their wives, and 
forbidding them ever to see them again, or to sufler them to live on 
any lands belonging to the church, on pain of seeing them reduced 
to slavery, or otherwise severely punished. 

12. Anselm not only conducted arbitrarily in the atFairs of the 
church, but he troubled himself about the dress of the laity. He 
preached so furiously and so successfully against long hair, and 
curls, which he disapproved of, that the ladies absolutely cut off 
their locks in the church. 

13. He was not so successful in the attacks he made on the 
fashionable shoes of the gentlemen ; for, notwithstanding his threat- 
enings and exhortations, they continued to wear them so enor- 
mously long, that they were obliged to support them by a chain 
from the end of the toe, fastened to the knee. 

pope? 7. 'What was invest.itU7-e ? 8. What was homage? What did the pope order in 
relation to these ? 9. How was the dispute settled in England? 10. What of the clergy? 
n. What law did Anselm pi-ocure to be passed?" 12,13. What fashions in dress did 
Anselm preach against? With what success? 



68 MORE ABOUT HENRY. — 1106. 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

More about Henry. — Edgar Atheling. — Death of Duke Robert. 

1. To endear himself yet more to his Anglo-Saxon subjects, 
Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm, King of Scotland, 
and niece of Edgar Atheling, and therefore of the Anglo-Saxon 
royal family. 

2. In the mean time, Robert had returned from the Holy Land, 
and resumed jjossession of Normandy. Without any delay he 
commenced his preparations for invading England, and asserting 
his right to the crown. He landed with his army at Portsmouth, 
on the 19th of July, 1101. 

3. Henry now found the benefit of his conciliatory conduct to- 
wards the English, who remained true to him, while the Normans 
chiefly took j^art with Robert, against whom Henry marched with 
a powerful force. The two armies remained within sight of each 
other for several days without coming to an engagement. 

4. This gave Anselm and some of the barons who were desirous 
of peace, an opportunity of concluding a ■ treaty between the two 
princes, in which it was agreed that Robert should renounce his 
pretensions to the crown of England, in consideration of Henry 
granting him a pension, and promising to restore those Normans 
who had joined him, to their honors and estates in England. 

5. No sooner had Robert returned to Normandy, than Henry, 
totally regardless of his promise, deprived of their offices and pos- 
sessions all those barons who had taken his brother's part. When 
Robert heard this, he returned to England and remonstrated with 
Henry on this breach of faith ; but he soon found, that instead of 
benefiting his friends, he was endangering himself by staying in 
England ; and he escaped in safety only by giving up his pension. 

6. In 1106, Henry invaded Normandy, and in a battle fought on 
the 28th of September, he took Robert prisoner, and many of his 
nobles, among whom was Edgar Atheling. Edgar, however, was 
not considered a formidable enemy, and was soon set at liberty. 
His Saxon blood and his mild disposition made him a favorite Avith 
the English ; whilst the weakness of his character rendered him 
too insignificant to be feared by the Normans. 

7. From this time till his death, which was not till he was very 
old, he lived quietly in England, and probably far more happily 
than any of those who were wearing that crown to which, by 
birth, he had the best right. 

8. Robert's fate was not so happy ; he was brought a prisoner to 
England ; and his cruel and unrelenting brother kept him in con- 
finement till his death, twenty-eight years afterward. The circum- 
stances which attended this event are thus related : 

XXXV. — 1. Whom did Henry marry? 2. What did Robert do? 4. How were Henry 
and Robert reconciled? 5. How did Henry keep his promises? 6,7. What of Edgar 
Atheling? 9, 10. Relate the particulars of Robert's death. 



MELANCHOLY CONDITION OF HENRY. 1106. 69 

9. " King Henry, on a festival day, putting on a new scarlet 
cloak, the hood, being too small, was torn in putting it over his 
head. On which theking said, ' My brother Robert has a smaller 
head than I have ; let him have this garment.' The cloak was 
accordingly sent to the duke. 

10. " The torn place not having been sewed up, he discovered it, 
and asked, ' If any one had worn it before ?' And being told the 
circumstance, he considered it as a deep affront, and exclaimed, 
'Now I perceive that I have lived too long, since my brother 
clothes me like an almsman in his cast rent garments.' He then 
refused to take food, and died in consequence.' 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Melancholy Condition of the King. — Attempts to seize the person of his 
Nepheio. — How the young Prince is saved. — King Henry has many 
Enemies. 

1. After the capture of Duke Robert, the whole of Normandy 
submitted to Henry. Hitherto everything seemed to have pros- 
pered with him ; but we should be much mistaken if we supposed 
him to be happy. From this time he never knew what happiness 
was. Remorse for his conduct towards his brother preyed unceas- 
ingly on his mind. 

2. He in vain endeavored to stifle it by founding monasteries 
and building churches. Though groaning under the burden of one 
crime, he was yet meditating the commission of another, that of 
destroying his brother's son, William, a child of ten years old ; 
whose rightful claims kept him in continual dread, and prevented 
all enjoyment of what he had so unjustly acquired. 

3. He therefore sent one of his servants into France to seize on the 
young prince ; but by the vigilance and fidelity of the people who were 
left in charge of him, the child was carried to a place of safety. Henry, 
enraged at this disappointment, deprived the guardian of the prince 
of all his estates, and his personal safety was secured only by flight. 

4. The faithful Helie de St. Leon, for this was his name, having 
no longer a home of his own, wandered about from court to court, 
claiming pi-otection for his royal charge, who was everywhere 
pitied for his misfortunes, and admired for his many virtues, as 
well as for the beauty of his person. 

5. The Earl of Anglers engaged to assist him, and promised him 
his daughter Sibylla in marriage ; but Henry no sooner heard that 
his nephew had gained so powerful a friend, than he resolved to 
prevent the intended match, and offered his own son William in 
marriage to Matilda, another daughter of the earl. 

XXXA'^I. — 1. What were the feelings of Henry? 2. What new crime did he meditate? 
3. Did he effect his intention? 4. Who was the guardian of Robert's son? What is said 
of the son of Robert? 5. How did Henry prevent his marriage? 6. Whither did the 



70 BATTLE OF BRENNEVILLE. — 1118-1120. 

6. The earl found the temptation so strong that he broke off the 
contract with William, the son of Robert, and concluded one with 
William, the son of Henry. The unfortunate prince, still attended 
by Helie, then retired to the court of Flanders, where the earl re- 
ceived them with great kindness. 

7. Henry probably showed some disinclination to fulfil his agree- 
ment for the marriage of his son ; for in 1118 we find the Duke of 
Anjou united with Louis, King of France, and the Earl of Flan- 
ders, against him. They were joined by many Norman barons. 

8. Henry, surrounded by enemies, both secret and declared, knew 
not whom to trust, nor whom to fear. He slept in armor, and with 
a guard w^atching in his apartment. Nevertheless, his prudence 
and vigilance did not forsake him. He contrived to regain tlie 
favor of the Norman barons, and detached the Duke of Anjou from 
the alliance by solemnizing the i)roposed marriage. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Battle of Brennevilk. — Ancient Armor. 

1. The King of France, and those associated with him, met the 
army of Henry in the plains of Brenneville, not far from Rouen. 
A fierce battle ensued, in which the English were victorious. It is 
remarkable for having cost the lives of only three knights, although 
an unusually large number were engaged in it. This was owing to 
their being clad in complete armor, and to the desire which each 
j)arty felt to take prisoners, rather than to take life. 

2. The ransom, that is, the sum of money received from prisoners 
for their I'estoration to liberty, formed an important part of the reve- 
nues of the fighting men at this period. 

3. The use of armor by the English was comparatively a new 
thing. The Saxons and Danes had no other defence than a shield 
and a helmet, till a little before the time of the Conquest, when the 
nobles adopted armor, something like that of the Normans. 

4. This consisted of a whole dress of little rings of iron, linked 
together so ingeniously, like net-work, that it fitted close to the 
limbs and body, and was, at the same time, as flexible as a stock- 
ing. Under this they wore a dress called a gambeson, which we 
suppose to have been like a shirt without sleeves or collar, and 
quilted or stuffed with wool. 

5. Sometimes the gamheson was worn over the hauberk, or coat of 
mail, as the chain armor was called. But it seems that this kind of 
armor was not found to be sufficient defence against the point of a 

prince go from Anjou? 7. What league was formed against Henry? 8. What did 
Honry do? 

XXXVII. — 1. Wliere did the hostile armies meet? Wliat was the result of the battle? 
Whj' were so few lives lost? 3. What is said of the use of armor by the English? 4, 5. 
Wliat was the hauberk? What the gambesnnt What new kind of armor was intro- 



ANCIENT ARMOR. 1120. 71 

spear or arrow ; for in the fourteenth century, pLate armor was in- 
troduced, so called from being made of plates of iron. 

6. These were often so heavy, that when a knight in his armor 
was overthrown, he lay on the ground immovable till he was heliied 
up ; and there were many instances, in hot weather, and in the 
press of battle, of persons being suffocated with the heat and weight 
of their armor. 

7. In an engagement between the French and Italians, in 1405, 
some Italian knights, who were overthrown, lay like huge lobsters, 
and could not be killed till their armor was broken by the French 
soldiers with wood-cutters' axes. There was also an intermediate 
kind of armor, called scale armor, formed of little pieces of iron 
laid one over another, like the scales of a fish ; but tliis does not 
appear to have been long in use. 

8. At first the hauberk, though it covered the head like a hood, 
left the face quite exposed, except that it was sometimes guarded 
by a nasal, a part of the cap which projected over the nose. But 
by degrees they covered the face more and more, till at length close 
vuors were adopted. This armor was a pretty sure defence against 
the weajjons then in use, for gunpowder was not invented till long 
after the time of Henry I. 

9. The knights fought with lances, spears, and swords ; and the 
common soldiers with slings and bows, in the use of which the Eng- 
lish excelled all other nations. The French were more active, but 
the English had more bodily strength. Besides these arms, various 
kinds of machines were used for throwing darts and stones to a 
great distance. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Melancholy Death of Prince William, and a large number of the 
young Nobles. 

1. Henry had adopted every means which his prudence and 
wisdom could suggest to secure to his son the succession to the 
crown. He required all his earls and barons to swear fealty to 
him, that is, to acknowledge him as their lord, and to maintain his 
right to the throne with fidelity. He also spent much time in Nor- 
mandy, seeking to gain the good will of the nobles. 

2. But how useless was all this anxiety ! This beloved son, for 
whose aggrandizement he had done and sacrificed so much, was sud- 
denly snatched from him. When the king arrived at Harfleur, on 
his way back to England from a visit to Normandy, in 1120, he 
was accosted by a man, who claimed the right of carrying the 

duced in the fourteenth century ? 6,7. What is said of the plate armor? What of scale 
ai-mor? 8. How was the face protected? 9. Wliat were the offensive weapons at this 
period ? 
XXXVIII. — 1. For what was Henry very anxious? How did he try to secure his ob- 



72 MELANCHOLY DEATH OF PRINCE WILLIAM. 1120. 

kings of Englaud across the seas, by virtue of a promise of William 
the Conqueror to his father. 




PRINCE WILLIAM AND HIS SISTER. 



3. This promise had been made as a reward for the father's ser- 
vices in carrying William over to England when he went to the 
Conquest. Henry was in haste to reach England, and could not 
alter the arrangements already made. Not to disappoint the man 
Avho had caused a vessel to be gallantly equipped in a style worthy 
of the occasion, he told him that his son should embark in it. 

4. Accordingly the young prince, with a large number of the young 
nobles, and many ladies of rank, went on board the white ship. The 
prince had ordered some wine to be given to the crew, of which they 
drank so freely that many were intoxicated. The rest of the fleet had 
sailed before them, and the captain crowding all sail, and plying all 
his oars to overtake them, the vessel suddenly struck u.pon a rock. 

5. A boat was immediately let down, into whicli the young prince 
and some of his attendants were hurried ; and they might have 
reached the shore in safety, had not the prince insisted on going 
back to rescue his sister. On board the vessel all was terror and 
confusion ; as soon as the boat approached, so many persons jumped 
into it, that it instantly sank, and every creature in it perished. 

6. Of three hundred persons on board the vessel, only one escaped. 



ject? 2. What led to Prince Wiilianrs cmliaiking in thfi white sliip? 4, f). Kelate the 



DEATH OF WILLIAM OF NOKMANDY. I12G. 73 

This was a butcher of Rouen, who, by clhigino- to a mast, contrived 
to keep liis head above water till the next morning, when he was 
picked up by some fishermen. The captain had also clung to the 
same mast, but when the butcher told him that the prince had per- 
ished, he let go his hold and was drowned. 

7. The news of this misfortune reached England the next day ; 
but it was three days before any one had courage to tell the king 
of it. At last a boy was instructed to fall at his feet, and tell 
him that the white ship was lost, with all on board. Henry imme- 
diately fainted away. It was a long time before the violence of 
his grief abated, and he never was seen to smile again. 

8. England would probably have found a tyrant in Prince William, 
had he lived to come to the throne; for he hated the English, and 
had been heard to threaten that, when he should be king, he would 
make them draw the plough, and turn them into beasts of burden. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Mafilda, daughter of Henry, marries Oeoffrey Plantagenet. — Death of 
Henry I. — Stephen usurps the Croivn. 

1. Henry had now only one child left, and that one a daughter, 
Matilda, who was married to Henry V., Emperor of Germany, and 
she had no children. This state of things encouraged the friends 
of William of Normandy to make fresh attempts in his favor ; but 
they were not attended with any success. 

2. William, having married a sister of the Queen of France, re- 
ceived a small territory as her dowry, and thus at last became pos- 
sessed of a spot of ground that he might call his own. A few years 
afterwards the King of France put him in possession of a part of 
Flanders, to which he had a claim in right of his grandmother 
Matilda, wife of the Conqueror. 

3. But no sooner did fortune seem to smile on this young prince, 
than he died of wounds received in battle. Before his clcath he 
wrote a letter to Henry, entreating his favor for his faithful friend 
Helie, and the other barons who had followed his fortunes. It is 
pleasing to be able to say that this last request of the gallant and 
ill-fated son of Robert was generously complied with. 

4. In the year 1126, Matilda became a widow. She then re- 
turned to live with her father, who made all the nobles swear fealty 
to her, as they had formerly done to her brother. The following 
year he married her to Geoffrey, eldest son of tlie Earl of Anjou, who 
was surnamed Plantagenet. This name is derived from the Latin 
words ^fanto, plant, and genista, broom. 

particulars of his death. 6. How many wore saved? 7. How was the king affected by 
the news? 8. What is said of Prince William? 

XXXIX.— 1. How many children had Henry? 2, 3. What is said of William, son of 
Robert ? 4. What did Henry do to secure the crown to his daughter ? Wlio was her 



74 ABOUT STEPHEN. — 1135-1140. 

5. Why it was given to the liouse of Anjou, antiquaries are not 
agreed. One old chronicle tells us, that a prince of that family, hav- 
ing killed his brother, to obtain his possessions, made a pilgrimage 
to the Holy Land to expiate his crime; and as a further penance, 
flogged himself every night with a rod of the plant called broom ; 
whence he became nicknamed planta-genista, or planta-genet. 

6. The great love which Henry had for his own children, bore a 
striking contrast to his want of affection for his brother and his 
nephew William. That he might be near his daughter, he spent 
the latter part of his life in Normandy. After living to see her the 
mother of three sons, he died on the 1st of December, 1135, in the 
sixty-seventh year of his age, and the thirty-sixth of his reign. 

7. All the precautions which Henry had taken to secure the 
crown to his daughter proved vain. He had a nephew named 
Stephen, son of his sister Adela and the Count of Blois. This 
young man had always been a great favorite with his uncle, who 
had loaded him with riches and honors. 

8. He had been loud in his j^rofessions of gratitude, and of his zeal, 
and fidelity to his uncle's family ; and had been amongst the first to 
swear to maintain the rights of Matilda to be the successor. But no 
sooner did he hear of the king's death, than he hastened over to Eng- 
land, where he soon procured himself to be crowned at Westminster. 



CHAPTER XL. 

Proceedings of Stephen. — Miserable State of the Kingdom. — A Civil 

War. 

1. We are told that Stephen had a very graceful person ; he was 
strong and active, and was very courageous. He was also pleasant 
in his manners, and in his conversation. He had always been a 
great favorite with the people, and to this he owed the success of 
his attempt on the crown. He was kind and indulgent to his own 
family, and pi'ofuse in his kindness to his friends and favorites. 

2. His usurpation of the throne had been so totally unexpected, 
that no preparations had been made against it ; and he had time to 
strengthen himself, before the adlierents of Matilda had recovered 
from their surprise. Malcolm, King of Scotland, was the first to 
take up arms in favor of his niece. He advanced into England 
with an army, but Stephen contrived to win him over by giving up 
to him a large territory in the noi'th of England. 

3. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, was the most powerful baron in 
England at this time, and he was warmly attached to the cause of 

second husband? 5. What was the surname of her husband? 6. When did Henry die? 
Wliat was liis age? 7. Who was Stejihen dn Blois? 8. What did lie do after his uncle's 
doatli ? 

XL.— 1. What is sai<l of Stnphon? 2. AVhat of the friends of Matilda? .■}. 4. What 



A CIVIL WAR. — lUO. 75 

Matilda; but as the other nobles acknowledged Stephen, he was 
obliged to yield. But he bound himself to submit to him as king 
no longer than Stephen kept the promises he had made in favor of 
all orders of men. 

4. The clergy and barons took the oath of allegiance with the 
same condition, and the latter required for themselves the right of 
fortifying their castles. In consequence, England was soon covered 
with fortresses. In these the barons lived like robbers in their dens, 
and sallied out only to plunder and fight. 

5. Private wars arose among the barons, and were carried on 
with great fury in all parts of the kingdom ; the less powerful 
found themselves obliged to purchase, at any rate, the protection 
of some neighboring chieftain ; the country was laid waste, and the 
most shocking cruelties were practised upon those taken captive, in 
oi'der to make them reveal their treasures. 

6. Stejjhen was at length compelled to adopt some measures to 
check the wickedness of the barons. This occasioned great discon- 
tent, which gave courage to Robert of Gloucester, who had now 
openly espoused the cause of JMatilda, to raise the standard of 
rebellion. 

7. Matilda herself soon came over to England, and was kindly 
entertained by Adelais, the widow of Henry, at her castle of Arun- 
del. Stephen at once laid siege to this castle, and would soon have 
taken it, had it not been rej^resented to him, that thus to take a 
castle belonging to Adelais, the queen-dowager, as the widow of a 
king is called, would show a great want of respect for her. 

8. Stephen, who possessed a great deal of that generous and 
romantic spirit which led to the institution of chivaliy, would do 
nothing which should injure his reputation as a good knight. He 
permitted Matilda to come out, and to proceed in safety to Bristol, 
another castle equally strong with the one which she had left. 

9. Matilda made use of the freedom which she owed entirely to 
the generosity of the king to raise an army against him. England 
was now for several years desolated by one of the most calamitous 
wars ever known. War and tumult were spread in every quarter. 
Instead of an open contest, it was a miserable kind of hostility, and 
displayed all the worst evils of the feudal system. 

10. Each baron, shut up in his own castle with his own retain- 
ers, kept up a petty war with his nearest neighbor of the opposite 
party. The land was left untilled, and a grievous famine was the 
consequence. At length, on the 2d of February, 1141, the king and 
the Earl of Gloucester met in battle, in which the latter was vic- 
torious, and Stephen was taken prisoner. 

did the nobles require? 5. Wliat is said of tlie state of the country? 6. What did Ste- 
phen do? What was the consequence? 7. What did Matilda do? 8. What instance of 
the generosity of Stephen ? 9. What is said of tlie war that followed? 10. What was the 
result ? 



76 MATILDA ACKNOWLEDGED AS QUEEN. — 1141. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

Matilda acknowledged as Queen. — Her Escape from Stephen. — Peace 
restored. — Death of Stephen. 



V 






X 




THE QUEEN OF STEPHEN PKAYING FOR HIS LIBERTY. 

1. After this great victory, Matilda, or Maude, as she was 
called by the Normans, was acknowledged as queen. Instead of 
acting with prudence, or even with gratitude, she became pufted up 
with her success, treated her friends very rudely, and her opponents 
very insolently. She conducted towards Stephen while in prison 
with great inhumanity, and when his queen begged her to release 
him, she replied only by insult. 

2. She so disgusted all orders of people by her behavior, that 
even while she was making preparations for her coronation, she was 
obliged to fly from London, and seek refuge in Winchester. Here 
she was soon besieged by Stephen's brother, Henry, Bishop of 
Winchester. 

3. The castle being in danger of being taken, she mounted a swift 
horse, and with difficulty escaped. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, in 
attempting to follow her, was made prisoner. He was, however, 
soon after exchanged for Stephen, and thus, by both being taken 
prisoners, both regained their liberty. 

4. Matilda soon after had another narrow escape ; for being pur- 
sued by Stephen, she saved herself by being borne in a litter, like a 
dead body, to Oxford. Stephen continued before Oxford three months, 
having sworn not to raise the siege till he had taken Matilda prisoner. 

XLl. — 1. What was the consequence of the capture of Stephen? How did Matilda lip- 
have? 2. What was the consequence of her behavior? 3. What procured the release 



DEATH OF STEPHEN. 1154. 77 

At last the garrison was reduced to extremity by famine. Still the 
queen's spirit was too proud to allow her to surrender. 

5. It being now the middle of winter, the ground was covered 
with snow. Matilda and three other trusty knights, attiring them- 
selves wholly in white, passed out of the castle by a postern gate. 
After crossing the frozen river, and walking six miles, they reached 
Abingdon in safety, where they procured horses to carry them to 
Wallingford. 

6. At this place she was met by Earl Robert, on his return from 
Normandy, with her son, Prince Henry, a fine, promising boy of 
eleven years of age ; and she soon forgot all her fatigues and alarms 
in the joy of that happy meeting. 

7. The fatal and ruinous warfare continued for some years longer. 
Indeed, it seemed as if the people were become so much accustomed 
to fighting, that they did not know how to leave off. In 1147, 
Eobert, Earl of Gloucester, died ; on whicli, Matilda, wearied out 
with the struggle, resigning her claims to her son Henry, retired to 
Normandy, and passed the remainder of her life in quiet, seldom 
interfering in public affairs. 

8. Matilda left one memorial of herself in England, which is 
worth mentioning. Stow, an old chronicler, gives this account of 
it: "This Matilda, when she saw the forde to be dangerous for 
them that travelled by the Old Forde over the river Sea (for she 
had herself been well washed in the water), caused two stone 
bridges to be builded, of which the one was over the Sea, at the 
town of Stratford, now called Boio, because the bridge was arched 
like a bow." 

9. This, he tells us, was " a rare piece of worke ; for before that 
time the like had never been seen in England." All former bridges 
had bepn made of wood. In 1153, Prince Henry arrived from 
Normandy with an army. Stephen, with his forces, met him at 
Wallingford. 

10. The two armies remained near one another for several days 
without engaging in battle. Some of the barons, who deplored the 
miseries of the country, had thus an opportunity of pro2)osing an 
accommodation, to which Stephen the more willingly assented, 
having a short time before lost his eldest son, Eustace. 

11. It was agreed that Stephen should remain king during his 
life, and that Henry should be his successor. The news of the 
treaty was received with the greatest joy. Stephen did not long 
survive. He died on the 25th of October, 1154, upon which Henry 
II. peaceably took possession of the throne. 

of Stephen? 5. How did Matilda escape from Oxford? 6. Who met her at Walling- 
ford? 7. When did Robert, Earl of Gloucester, die? What did Matilda do soo7i after? 
8,9. What memorial remains of her ? When did Henry return to England? 11. How 
were the difficulties settled? When did Stephen die? Who succeeded liim? 



78 LADIES IN THE TIME OF HENRY II. 1160-1200. 

CHAPTER XLII. 

Hoio the Ladies employed themselves in the time of Henry II. 

1. Our readers may be curious to know how the ladies were oc- 
cupied during the stormy times we have been describing. The 
daughters of noblemen were generally educated in nunneries till 
they were married. These were societies of women, who had taken 
upon themselves vows similar to those of the monks. 

2. These religious houses were respected by both parties, and the 
young ladies, besides being instructed in the branches then con- 
sidered e??sential to female education, such as surgery, needlework, 
and cookery, were also saved from the dangers to which the violence 
of the times would have exposed them. 

3. After they were married, they lived in their husbands' castles, 
and were often besieged, and taken prisoners. In times of battle 
they employed themselves in making salves, and attending uj^on 
the wounded. 

4. If there were none of these requiring their care, they occupied 
themselves in embroidery and needlework. They used to sit in the 
great hall, surrounded by their damsels, working with them and 
setting them their tasks, like the mantua-makers and milliners of 
the present day. 

5. Some specimens of their work are yet preserved. At Caen, 
in Normandy, there is a very curious piece of the kind, called the 
Bayeux tapestry, which is said to have been the work of Queen 
Matilda, the wife of the Conqueror; though others suppose it to 
have been the woi'k of her grand-daughter, Maude, or Matilda, of 
whose disputes with Stephen we have just been telling you. 

6. Upon it is represented the Conquest of England, worked with 
worsted in a series of pictures. The faces are supposed to be por- 
traits, but it is not possible that they can be very good likenesses. 

7. Though the wives of the barons never went out visiting, they 
were very far from leading a solitary life. Every lady had a num- 
ber of damsels attendant upon her, who were daughters of inferior 
nobles, or gentlemen, or perhaps her own relatives. 

8. Besides this, the castle of every powerful baron was a school 
for the young nobles. They had nothing to do with books ; but were 
instructed in everything that a soldier should know. They were 
taught to take care of horses, horsemanship, and the use of arms. 

9. To every castle belonged an enclosed space called the tilt-yard, 
where the young men practised all the exercises requisite to make 
good warriors. Their games were calculated to improve their 
strength and agility. Riding at the ring was one of these ; the object 
of which was, while riding at full speed, to run the point of the lance 
through a small ring that hung suspended from a high post. 

XLII. — 1. How were the young ladies generally educated? What Is said of nun- 
neries? 2. In what were young ladies instructed? 3, 4. IIow were they employed 
alter marriage? 5, 6. What is said of the Bayeux tapestry? 7. By whom were the 
ladies attended ? 8. What is said of the education of the younk nobles? 9. What was 



PAGES, ESQUIRES, AND KNIGHTS. — 1150-1200. 79 

10. The favorite game of the younger boys was the quiniain. 
The quintain itself was somewhat like a turnstile, with two arms 
instead of four. On one arm was painted a board or shield, and to 
the other hung a bag of sand, or a piece of wood. The play was 
for the boy to run at the shield, and push it with a long stick. 

11. When the shield was struck, of course the arms of the quin- 
tain to which it was fastened turned round instantly ; and, if the boy 
was not very quick in his movements, the bag of sand would give him 
a heavy knock on the back before he could get out of the way. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

Pages, Esquires, and Knights. 

1. The young nobles commenced their career as pages or valets. 
It was the duty of the page to assist his lord in dressing, to wait 
upon him and his lady and noble guests at table, and to attend 
him when he rode abroad. After serving the requisite time as 
page, he was advanced to the rank of esquire. He now practised 
and perfected himself in all knightly accomplishments. His pres- 
ent age would make him a more agreeable companion for the 
ladies. He joined in their dances, and cheered them with his 
music. In their society he acquired the courtesy and politeness of 
manners, which were indispensable to a good knight. 

2. He was relieved from the seiwices required of the page, but 
was called upon for more dangerous and responsible ones. He at- 
tended his lord to battle. He was not expected to take part in the 
fight, and was in little danger, for, as he wore no armor, it was 
considered dishonorable for a knight to attack him. 

3. He stood ready to render any assistance which his lord might 
require. If he were overthrown, he helped him to rise ; if he were 
wounded, he carried him from the field ; if the wound were mortal, 
he received his lord's dying commands, and after his death, bestowed 
upon his body an honorable burial. 

4. A writer of the reign of Henry II., thus describes the exercises 
of the youth : " Crowds of noble and sprightly youths, mounted on 
war horses, admirably trained to perform all their turnings and 
evolutions, ride into the fields in distinct bands, armed with lances 
and shields, and exhibit representations of battles. 

5. " The hope of victory rouses the spirits of these noble youths ; 
their fiery horses neigh and prance, and champ their foaming bits. 
At length the signal is given, and the sports begin. The youths, 
divided into opposite bands, encounter one another. In one place, 



the tilt-yard? Wluit was one of the favorite games? 10, 11. What was a favorite game 
with the boys? Describe the game of the quintain. 

XLIII.— 1. What were the duties of a page? What is said of esquires? 2, 3. What 
were their duties ? 4, 5. What does an author of the age of Henry II. say of the exercises 



80 PAGES, ESQUIRES, AND KNIGHTS. ^1160-12(10. 

some flee, and others pursue, without overtaking them. In another 
place, one of the bands overtakes and overturns tlie other." 

6. At length the young noble arrived at a proper age to receive 
that honor, for which he had gone through a course of long and 
laborious preparation. If he was perfect in his martial exercises, 
courteous in his demeanor, polite and attentive to the ladies, obe- 
dient to his superiors, resjjectfiil to his elders, was skilled in music 
and dancing, possessed in short of all knightly accomijlishments, he 
was admitted to the order of knights. 

7. Every knight had the power of conferring this dignity. Some- 
times an esquire had an opportunity of performing some gallant 
action in battle, and was knighted upon the field. This was es- 
teemed the most honorable mode of obtaining it. Sucli a one wa-s 
called a knigJU-banneret. 

8. Kneeling down before the knight who was to bestow the 
honor, he received a blow on the left shoulder with a sword, from 
the knight, who said, " In the nam© of God, of St. George, and of 
St. Michael the Archangel, rise up. Sir John !" or " Sir Thomas," 
or whatever else the name might be. 

9. But the process was usually longer, and accompanied with 
much ceremony, and many solemnities. The candidate for knight- 
hood prepared himself by fasting and prayer. Having bathed and 
clothed himself in a Avhite garment, as a symbol of the purity and 
truth that must distinguish his future life, lie entered the church, 
and, advancing to the altar, presented his sword to the priest, Avho 
blessed it, and then returned it to him. 

10. The novice then, with clasped hands, went and fell ujjon his 
knees before the elder knight, who took from him the sword, and 
administered the oath. He swore to speak the truth ; to maintain 
the right ; to protect the distressed ; to practise courtesy ; to defend 
his religion ; to despise the allurements of ease, and to vindicate in 
every perilous adventure the honor of his name. 

11. He was then invested by the knights, or ladies, or damsels 
present, with the exterior marks of chivalry, — his spurs, his coat of 
mail, his brassards, (the covering for the arms,) his gauntlets or iron 
gloves ; and lastly his sword was buckled on. Then the elder knight, 
rising from his seat, gave him the blow on his shoulder, or accolade, 
and this was intended as a warning of the sufferings he would be 
called upon to bear. 

12. While giving the accolade, the elder knight repeated the same 
words as in the former case. The helmet, buckler, and lance, were 
now given, after which, mounting and curvetting his steed, bran- 
dishing his lance, and glittering his sword, the new knight paraded 
about amidst the acclamations of the jjeople. 

13. There were some knights who devoted their lives to the 23ro- 
teetion of the injured and lielpless. They were not formed into any 
regular body, but were quite independent of one another, and trav- 

uf tlie youth? 6. What were the requisite!? of a knight? 7. Who had the power of 
knighting? What was a knight-banneret? 8. With what ceremony were such made 
knights? 9, 10, 11, 12. Relate the usual process of making a knight. 13. What is said 
of knights-errant? 14. AVhat of chivalry ? 



SURNAMES. — 1150-1200. 81 

elled about from place to place for the purpose of redressing griev- 
ances. These were called knights-errant. 

14. This class of knights might well do a great deal of good in 
those lawless times, when might made right. The whole institution 
of chivalrij, as the system was called, of which knighthood was one 
of the chief characteristics, did infinite service in softening the fero- 
cious mannei's of the times. It had its origin in France, and no 
traces of it have been found among the \Aaii\ and rustic Saxons. 



TABLE OF THE NORMAN KINGS. 



Began to reign. Reigned 
10(56 . . 21 
1087 . . 13 
1100 . . 35 
1135 . . 19 



William I., the Couqueror. 

William Rufus, | „ iirii- ^^. n 

Ti T t sons of William the Conqueror. 

Henry I., J ^ 

Stephen, son of Adela, daughter of William the 

Conqueror, and the Count of Biois. 



CHILDREN OF HENRY I. 



William, lost in the White Ship. 

Matilda, wife of the Emperor of Germany, and afterwards of GeofiFrey Plan- 
tagenet, Earl of Anjou. She is commonly called the Empress Maude. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

Surnames. — Of the Education of Henry II. — Learned Men of that 
Age. — About the only Englishman that ever was made Pope. 

1. When the Normans went over to England, many of their 
leaders would naturally have the same Christian name. .- To distin- 
guish one from the other, they were called by the name of the place 
from which they came ; as, for example, Robert d'Evreux, Henry 
d'Arcy, Walter de Courtenay, &c., which mean Robert of Evreux, 
Henry of Arcy, &c. 

2. Their children wishing to preserve the remembrance of their 
origin, also called themselves by the same names ; but in the couree 
of time the French word de, meaning of, was either dropped en- 
tirely, or made part of the last name, as Devreux, Darcy, &c. 

3. It was soon found that family names were not only honorable, 
but convenient ; accordingly they became universal ; but at the time 
of which we are now speaking, they were assumed only by noble 
families ; and it was a long time before they were adopted by the 
lower orders of people. 

4. When they began to use them, sometimes they added their 
father's name with son at the end of it, as, Thomas Johnson ; and 
sometimes their mother's name, as, Horatio Nelson ; or, perhaps 



XLIV. — 1,2. What is said of the use of surnames l^y tlie Norman nobles? 3,4. 
Whence were they generally formed for the other classes? .=>. What of the name Plan- 



82 LEARNED MEN OF THAT AGPl 1150. 

they took their father's nickname, as, Hobbs from Robert, Bates 
from Bartholomew, Hodges from JRogcr, &c., and hence also Gib- 
son, Sampson, &c. Some took their name from their trade, or 
office; as Smith, Weaver, Walker, (which is Fuller in old English,) 
Porter, Shepherd, Spencer, (that is, steward.) 

5. I have already told you that Geoffrey of Anjou was called 
Planlagenet, and mentioned a derivation which an old legend gives 
of that name. The more j^robable story is, that one of the family 
wore a sprig of the plant genista, or broom, in his helmet, that his son 
retained it, and by this means it became the surname of the family. 

6. Henry Plantagenet was at this time twenty-one years of age ; 
of the middle size, and remarkably strong and active. He was very 
lively, and interesting in conversation. He was rather inclined to 
grow fat, but he guarded against it by abstemiousness and exercise. 

7. He was a very graceful rider, even to the last years of his life. 
He was educated in the castle of the Duke of Gloucester, one of the 
most learned as well as virtuous noblemen of the age. Under his 
care, Henry acquired not only all the common military accomplish- 
ments of the times, but the uncommon one of a taste for study. 

8. He delighted in the conversation of learned men, and had so 
good a memory that he remembered every book he had read, and 
every face he had seen. The invention of j^aper had made it less 
exj)ensive to multiply books, though, as the art of printing was not 
yet known, it was only to be done hy transcribing. 

9. Every monastery had its ivriting-room, where the younger 
monks were employed in copying books. Few among the laity 
could write, and all the authors of this time were monks and priests. 
There were many learned men, both historians and poets. Of these, 
the most eminent are AVilliam of Malmesbury, Henry of Hunting- 
don, and Giraldus Cambrensis. 

10. In this age lived Nicholas Breakspear, the only Englishman 
who was ever made pope. When a lad he was a servant in the 
Abbey of St. Albans. Being reproached for idleness, he left the 
abbey and went to Paris, where it was the custom for English 
students to resort, as the University of Paris was then the best in 
Euroj^e. 

11. At Paris he applied himself so earnestly to study, that he 
obtained the notice of Pope Eugenius HI., who, after a time, made 
him a cardinal, as the highest dignitaries in the Roman Catholic 
church, under the rank of \>o\)e, are called. In 1164 he was chosen 
pope, and took the name of Adrian IV. 

tageiiet? 6. What of the personal appearance of Henry II.? 7. By wliom was he edu- 
f-atcd? What taste did he acquire? 8. What had made books cheaper? 9. Of what 
class were the autliors of this age? Wlio were the most eminent? 10,11. What is 
said of Nicholas Breakspear? 



MORE ABOUT HENRY II. 1150. 



83 



CHAPTER XLV. 

More about Henry II. — Conduct and Character of Queen Eleanor. 




aUEEN ELEANOli AND ROSAMOND. 

1. Henry H. inherited all that was good and admirable in his 
grandfather's character, without his bad qualities. He was the first 
king since Edward the Confessor who had come fairly by the crown ; 
so that the people of England were prepared to receive him with 
great joyfulness. 

2. The Saxon blood which he inherited from his grandmother 
made him highly acceptable to the English, who were pleased to 
think that in him the old Saxon line was restored. Henry was 
very powerful, from his territories on the continent of Europe, 
before he succeeded to the crown of England. 

3. He received possession of Normandy when he was sixteen 
years old. By his father's death, in 1151, he became possessed of 
Anjou, Touraine, and Maine. The year after, he married Eleanor, 
heiress of Guienne and Poitou. She was many years older than 
himself, and had before been married to the King of France. 

4. That monarch had been separated from her for the alleged 



XIjV. — 1. How was Henry received by the English people ? 3. W^hat were his posses- 
ions on the continent of Europe? Whom did he marry? 4. What is said of his wife? 



84 CHARACTER OF ELEANOR. 

reason that she was his fourth or fifth cousin, and marriage between 
persons even distantly related is forbidden by the Roman Catholic 
church. But the true reason, doubtless, was that she was a very 
troublesome woman ; and Henry soon perceived that he had paid a 
dear price for the rich provinces she had brought him. She was con- 
stantly exciting his sous to rebellion, and it is said she administered 
poison to Eosamond, or the " fair Rosamond," as she is called in 
history, and thus caused her death. 

5. The first thing that Henry did on coming to the throne, Avas 
to send away all the foreign soldiers that Stephen had brought into 
England, and to order all the castles that had been built during 
the civil wars to be demolished. He also confirmed the charter ol 
privileges to the people. It has been said that " no king in so 
short a time had done so much good, and gained so much love, 
since Alfred." 

6. In 1155 he recovered the territory which Stephen had ceded 
to the King of Scotland. He then carried his arms against the 
Welsh, who were very troublesome neighbors, and only granted 
them peace upon terms favorable to himself. 

7. We next find him engaged in a war Avith the King of France, 
which, after several years' continuance, was ended by a marriage 
between his eldest son, Henry, an infant five years old, and Mar- 
guerite, the daughter of the King of France, who was not yet out 
of her cradle. 

8. In 1165 he received a still further accession of power; for the 
Duke of Brittany, finding himself unable to keep in subjection his 
turbulent barons, resigned his territories to Henry, to hold them in 
trust for Constantia, his daughter, who was betrothed to Geoffrey, 
the third son of the king. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

Thomas a Beclcet. — How he lost his rich Cloak. 

1 . We must now introduce you to Thomas k Becket, who was at 
this time a veiy distinguished person, and whose quarrels with King 
Henry were a subject of concern and interest even to many foreign 
potentates. This celebrated man was the son of a citizen of Lon- 
don, and was the first Anglo-Saxon who had arrived at any kind 
of eminence since the Conquest. 

2. He had early been remarked for his great abilities, and for his 
attachment to the cause of Matilda. When Henry came to the 
throne, he selected Becket as his favorite and companion, and at 
length made him his chancellor, which is the third dignity in the 
kingdom. 

3. Becket now indulged himself in every kind of luxury and mag- 

5. What did Ilenrj' do in England? 6. In what wars did he engage? 7. How was the 
War with France ended? 8. What accession of power did he receive in 1165? 

XLVI. — 1. Who was Thomas k Becket? 2. To what office did Henry appoint him? 



THOMAS A BECKET. 85 

nificence. He never moved without a numerous train of servants ; 
his ordinary retinue when upon a journey consisted of two hundred 
knights, each having his own attendants ; there were eight wagons 
containing provisions, furniture, and clothes, besides twelve pack- 
horses loaded with plate, books, and money. 

4.. To each wagon was chained a fierce mastiff, and on each pack- 
horse sat a monkey. In his dress, Becket was s])lendid in the ex- 
treme; the luxury of his table and of his furniture was greater 
than had ever been seen before. 

5. Fitz-Stephen, who was his secretary, and wrote the history 
of his life, states as an instance of his extreme delicacy, "that in 
winter his apartments were every day covered with clean hay and 
straAV, and in summer with green rushes, or boughs, that the gentle- 
men who paid court to him, and who could not, by reason of their 
number, find seats at table, might not soil their fine clothes by sit- 
ting on a dirty floor." 

6. Though Becket had been admitted to the first order in the 
priesthood, he considered himself more a layman than an ecclesi- 
astic, and employed his leisure in hunting, hawking, and similar 
amusements. He also engaged in military affairs, and conducted 
700 knights, at his own expense, to attend the king in his war in 
France. 

7. His house was a place of education for the sons of the chief 
nobility, and the king was often present at the entertainments he 
gave. As an instance of the familiarity with which the king treated 
Becket, Fitz-Stephen tells the following story : 

8. One day, while they were riding together in the streets of Lon- 
don, they met a poor beggar shivering with cold. The king made 
the observation that it would be a good deed to give that poor man 
a warm coat. The chancellor agreed, and added, "You do well, 
sir, in thinking of such a good action." 

9. " Then he shall have one presently," said the king, and, seizing 
on the chancellor's cloak, which was of scarlet lined with ermine, he 
tried to pull it off'. The chancellor, not liking to part with it, held 
it fast, and the king and he were near pulling one another off' their 
horses in the scuffle. At last, Becket letting the cloak go, the king 
gave it to the beggar, who was not a little astonished at the scene 
and at the gift. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

Henry attempts to check the Usurpations of the Clergy. — They resist. — 
Death of Becket. 

1. At the time of which we are now speaking, the usurpations 
of the clergy had reached such a height as to make it almost a mat- 

3, 4. What is said of his style of living? 5. What instance is given of his consideration 
for his courtiers ? 8, 9. Relate the story of the loss of his cloak. 



86 



USURPATIONS OF THE CLERGY. 



ter of doubt, whether the king or the priests, particularly the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, should rule the kingdom. 

2. Henry was not of a spirit tamely to submit to the encroach- 
ments of subjects. But the obligations which he was under to 
Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, i)revented him from taking 
any measures to check them during the lifetime of that prelate.- 

3. But after his death, he determined to exert himself with ac- 
tivity, and, that he might be secure against any opposition, he 
advanced Becket to that dignity, feeling sure that he could depend 
on his compliance with his wishes. 




TirOMA.S A BECKET AS AKCHIilSHOP. 



4. But no sooner was Becket established in his new dignity, than 
he seemed changed in character, as well as in condition. He re- 
nounced all his gay and active amusements, and was always seen 
with a book in his hand, or else absorbed in deep meditation. 

5. He affected the greatest austerities ; he wore sackcloth next to 
his skin, fed upon bread and water, tore his back witli whips and 
scourges, and every day washed the feet of thirteen poor beggars. 
In short, the ostentation of affected sanctity made him take a satis- 
fciction in inflicting on himself the severest penances. 



XLVII.— 1. What of the power of the clergy? 2. 3. Wliat of Henry's feelings on the 
subject? 4, 5, 6. What change took place in Becket's condnct? 7. What are the con- 



DEATH OF BECKET. 1164. 



87 



6. His conduct towards tlie king was not less clianged. He with- 
drew from the intimacy with wliich Henry had treated him, and 
resigned the office of chancellor, saying he must now devote him- 
self wholly to liis spiritual functions. So far was he from giving 
any aid to the king's plans for a i-eformation, tliat he set himself up 
as the champion of the church. 




BECKET'S DEATH. See page 88. 

7. But Plenry was not to be deterred from the execution of his 
purpose, of lowering the pride and power of the priests. In 1164, 
he summoned a general council of the nobility and prelates at Clar- 
endon. By this assembly certain laws were made, called the Consti- 
tutions of 'Clarendon, restraining the power of the clergy, and making 
them amenable to the laws of the country. 

8. The laws were so just, that even Becket was compelled to 
assent to them. But he knew very well that the pope, to whom 
they were to be submitted for ratification, would never submit to 
enactments which in fact abolished his authority in England. It 
happened as he expected ; the pope rejected the laws, and Becket 
retracted his assent. 

9. The king and the prelate now lived in a state of constant hos- 
tility. The clergy supported Becket as far as they dared, and the 
barons espoused the king's party. At one time, Becket was de- 
prived of his dignities and estates, and banished from the kingdom. 

10. But the influence of the clergy over the unenlightened people 
compelled the king to reinstate him, and, upon one occasion, to 
submit to the humiliation of holding the stirrup, whilst the haughty 
prelate mounted his horse. 



Rtitutioris of Clarendon? Why so called? 9. How did the king treat Becket? 10. What 
mortification did the king meet witli ? 11, 12, 13. Relate the particulars of Becket's death. 



OO BECKET CANONIZED BY THE POPE. — 1104-1176. 

11. For eight years Henry was kept in a continual ferment. At 
last, in a moment of irritation, he unhappily exclaimed, " Is there 
nobody that will rid me of this turbulent" priest?" words which 
were i)robably forgotten as soon as uttered by him. 

12. But they were not forgotten by some Avho heard them. Four 
gentlemen of his household, who thought they should do the king 
an acceptable service, by executing what they fancied to be his 
wishes, set out immediately from Normandy, where the king then 
was, for England. When they arrived at Canterbury, they de- 
manded admittance into the archbishop's palace. 

13. The servants, apprehensive of some evil designs, obliged their 
master to ily into the cathedral, thinking the sanctity of the i:>lace 
would protect him. But the assassins followed him; and as he 
would not submit to be their prisoner, they slew him on the steps 
of the altar, as he knelt before it. 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

Becket canonized by the Pope. — Miracles performed at his Tomb. — 
Illustrations of Maimers of the Clergy. 

1. When Henry heard of this murder, he was so much shocked 
that he shut himself up for three days, and refused to let any one 
come near him. At last his attendants forced open the door of his 
room, and persuaded him to take some refreshment. 

2. The king chiefly dreaded the displeasure of the pope. He 
found means, however, by a well-timed embassy, to divert the re- 
sentment of his Holiness from himself, and it was expended in de- 
nunciations of the immediate actors. The clergy now magnified 
the sanctity of Becket, and two years after his death he was canon- 
ized by the pope, that is, added to the list of saints. 

3. His body was then removed to a magnificent tomb which the 
king caused to be erected in Canterbury Cathedral. This was en- 
riched by jn-esents from all parts of Christendom, and it is esti- 
mated that, in one year, more than one hundred thousand pilgrims 
arrived at Canterbury, and paid their devotions at his tomb. 

4. A great many ridiculous stories were told by the priests, and 
readily believed by the ignorant and superstitious people, of the 
miracles performed here. At this shrine, not only dead men were 
said to be restored to life, but also cows, dogs, and horses. 

5. A story is related of the successor of Becket, which illustrates 
the manners of the times. In 1176, the pope's representative in 
England, called the pope's legate, summoned an assembly of the 
clergy, at which he himself presided. Richard, Archbishop of Can- 
terbury, and Roger, Archbishop of York, both claimed the honor 
of sitting on the riglit hand of the legate. 

6. The question of precedency created a dispute between them, 

XLA'III.— 1. Hd-.v was Henry affoctHd l,y the news of the murder of Becket? 2. What 



ST. PATRICK. 



89 



which ended in the monks and retainers of Archbishop Richard 
falling upon Roger, in the presence of the whole assembly, and 
throwing him upon the ground ; they then trampled on him, and he 
was with difficulty rescued from their hands alive. 

7. Archbishop Richard, by the payment of a large sum of money 
to the legate, prevented any notice being taken of this enormity. 
We may relate another anecdote of this period, which history has 
preserved. 

8. As King Henry was one day riding along, he was met by the 
monks of St. Swithan, who threw themselves jarostrate upon the 
earth before him, comj^laining, with many tears and much doleful 
lamentation, that the Bishop of Winchester, who was their abbot, 
had cut off three dishes from their tables. 

9. "How many has he left you?" said the king. "Ten only," 
replied the disconsolate monks. " I myself," exclaimed the king, 
" never have more than three ; and I enjoin your bishop to reduce 
you to the same number." 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



Earl Strongbow goes over to Ireland to assist Dennot Macmorrogh. 
The English conquer Ireland. 




ST. PATRICK IN IKELAND. 



1. In the early part of this volume, we have glanced at the state 



of the pope'B resentment? 3, 4. What of his tomb? 5, 6. What story is related of his 
successor? 8, 9. Relate the story of the monks of St. Switliau. 

8* 



90 THE ENGLISH CONQUER IRELAND. — 1I7L 

of Ireland previous to the invasion of Britain by the Romans. Its 
history for several centuries is involved in much obscurity, and 
though we know that many interesting events took place, they are 
not of a nature to require further notice here. 

2. In the fifth century, the history of Ireland becomes more 
defined. About the year 450, St. Patrick, who was probably a 
native of France, was carried thither, he being then in his youth. 
He was made a slave, and occupied for several years in the care of 
sheep. He at length escaped, and having qualified himself by 
study, and received an education at Rome, as a bishop, he returned 
to Ireland and devoted himself with great success to the conversion 
of the people to Christianity. They had hitherto jsrofessed the re- 
ligion of the Druids, but in the space of a few years the priests and 
princes yielded, throughout nearly the whole island, to the doc- 
trines of the gospel as taught by St. Patrick. 

3. From that time Ireland was a place of refuge for learned men 
of all countries ; and religion and science flourished till the eighth 
century, when the island was overrun by the Danes, who destroyed 
nearly all the churches and monasteries. After the Danes were 
expelled, the Irish, having no Alfred to govern them, sank back 
into a state of barbarism, though they still maintained their inde- 
pendence of foreign dominion. 

4. At the time of which we are now speaking, Ireland was divided 
into five separate kingdoms. In 1171, Dermot Macmorrogh, one of 
the five kings, being driven from Leinster, went over to England to 
implore the assistance of Henry, who gave him some money from 
the royal treasury, and jiermitted him to enlist in his cause any of 
the English whom he could prevail upon to join him. 

5. Accordingly the Earl of Pembroke, suruamed iSfrongbow, and 
a few other noblemen, returned with Dermot to Ireland, and with 
their assistance soon recovered his kingdom. Elated with his suc- 
cess, Dermot now thought it would be a good thing to possess him- 
self of the other four kingdoms. 

6. But Strongbow did not dare to engage in a plan for the con- 
quest of the whole island without first asking Henry's consent. 
The king's answer was for some time delayed. In the mean time 
the earl collected in England an army of twelve hundred men; 
but just as he was setting out for Ireland, he received Henry's posi- 
tive commands not to proceed. 

7. Disregarding these orders, lie set sail. At Waterford he was 
joined by Dermot, and there married his daughter Eva, and then 
proceeded to the conquest of the kingdom of Meath, which was 
easily eifected. The year foUoM'ing, Dermot died, and Earl Strong- 
bow, in right of his wife, succeeded to his possessions, and thus be- 
came king of a great part of Ireland. 

8. Henry had been greatly displeased at the earl's disobedience ; 
nor was he appeased till Strongbow went over to England, and 



XLIX.— 1. What of Ireland in early times? 2. What of St. Patrick? 3. What of Ire- 
land after the conversion of tlie people to Christianity? 4. How was it divided? What 
happened in 1171 ? 6. Who went over to assist Dermot ? What did Dermot wish to 



I 

REBELLION OF HENRY's SONS. 1173-1175. 91 

resigned to him all these great acquisitions, a part of which, how- 
ever, Henry allowed him to retain. 

9. To divert the attention of the people from the murder of 
Becket, Henry determined to go over to Ireland to take possession 
of the territory already subdued, and to complete the conquest of 
the island. Accordingly, in 1172, he passed over the channel, 
accompanied by a fleet of four hundred vessels. The several 
princes, overawed by such a ijowerful force, submitted at once, and 
this important conquest was made without bloodshed. 



CHAPTER L. 

Encouraged by their Mother, the Sons of Henry rebel. 

1. In the year 1173, Henry appeared to have arrived at the 
utmost height of glory and ambition. He was sovereign of England, 
Ireland, and of a third part of France. All his dominions were in 
a state of tranquillity. But his future life was to be embittered, 
and his government to be disturbed, from a quarter which he might 
naturally have expected to have been a source of happiness, and to 
have afforded support. 

2. Queen Eleanor, whom he had married for her rich dowry, not 
only gave him much vexation by her own conduct, but she encour- 
aged her children to behave undutifuUy to their father. It was no 
uncommon thing, in those days, for a king to cause his son to be 
crowned during his own lifetime, in order to secure to him the suc- 
cession. 

3. In pursuance of this policy, Henry, eldest son of the present 
king, had been crowned when he was fifteen years old. It is said, 
that at this ceremony, the king, in order to give greater dignity to 
it, othciated as one of the retinue ; and observed to his son that 
never was king more royally served. 

4. "It is nothing extraordinary," said young Henry to one of his 
courtiers, "if the son of a count should serve the son of a king." 
This saying, which passed at the time as an innocent pleasantry, 
was afterwards remembered as a sign of that aspiring temper of 
which he soon gave proof. 

5. At the instigation of his father-in-law, the King of France, he 
demanded immediate possession of the crown of England, or else of 
the Duchy of Normandy. Before his father's refusal to comply 
with his unreasonable demand, he entered into a conspiracy with 
the kings of France and Scotland, and other persons who were jeal- 
ous of Henry's power, to dethrone him. 

6. The prince, with his brothers, Richard and Geoffrey, whom he 
had persuaded to join him, fled to the court of France ; and even 

do? 6. What Jifl Euvl Strongbow do? 7. Wlioin did Strongbow marry ? Wliat did he 
get in riaht of liis wife? 8. ttow did lie appease Henry? 9. What did Henry do? 

L. — l.'What of Henry's condition in 1173? 2. What of his queen? How did Henry 
attempt to make sure the succession of his son ? 3. 4. What occurred at the ceremony 
of coronation? 5. What demand did tlie prince make? 6. What was the consequence 



92 



REBELLIONS OF HENRYS SONS. 1175. 



Queen Eleanor, in the disguise of ii man, tried to escape thither also. 
She was, ho^ve^■er, discovered, and brought back to Henry, who shut 
her up in strict confinement. The rebellion now broke out in open 
war. The King of France and the Earl of Flanders attacked Nor- 
mandy, while William, King of Scotland, marched into England, 
and was joined by all the discontented barons. 

7. Never did Plenry act with more wisdom and vigor. The united 
efforts of so many enemies were unable to do him serious injury ; 
and in the year 1175, all their schemes were frustrated by the cap- 
ture of William, who was surprised and taken without the walls of 
Alnwick Castle, which he occupied. 

8. This place was assailed by about four hundred knights, and 
William, without waiting for his army to support him, made a gal- 
lant attempt with only seventy of his knights to repel the enemy. 
" Now let us see who are the best knights I" cried he, and spurred 
forward against his opponents ; but his horse was killed at the first 
onset, and he was taken prisoner. His numerous troops, on hearing 
of the disaster, fled with the greatest precipitation. 



CHAPTER LI. 



Singular Penance of Henry II. — Fresh Rebellions of his Sons. — Death 
of Hentij II — The Reason of his being called "Cint Mantle.'" 




HENRY II. DOING PENAXCE AT BECKETS TOMB. 



1. The great mass of the people considered the troubles which 

of the king's refusal? By wliom was Henry attacked? 7. What of his conduct? 8. 
What happened to William, King of Scotland? 



SINGULAR PENANCE OF HPJNRY II. 1175-1178. 93 

befell Henry, as a proof of the indignation of Heaven for the 
impious murder of Becket. Tlie king, well knowing the effects 
of superstition on the minds of men, submitted to a most singu- 
lar and humiliating penance. 

2. Returning from Normandy, which he had been putting in a 
state of defence, he proceeded at once to Canterbury. When he 
came within sight of the church he dismounted and walked bare 
foot to Becket's tomb, prostrated himself before it and remained 
there fasting all one day and night. 

8. He then assembled the monks, and putting a whip into the 
hands of each, presented his bare shoulders to receive as many 
lashes as they might think proper to inflict upon his royal back. 
Next day the priest pronounced his pardon, or absolution, as it is 
called, and the king went to London, where he soon heard the 
joyful news of the capture of William. 

4. This had been made on the very day that he had received his 
absolution, and was regarded bj^ the people as a proof that St. 
Thomas ii, Becket was satisfied with the atonement. Henry was in 
bed when the news was brought to him, but he at once arose and 
called his attendants, that he might tell them the happy tidings. 

5. The King of France was now glad to make peace, and thus 
everything turned out prosperously for England. Henry's gen- 
erosity to his defeated enemies was much to be admired. He 
gave liberty without ransom to a large number of noblemen who 
were made prisoners ; and he gave the King of Scotland his lib- 
erty on condition that he and his successors should do homage to 
the kings of England for their crown. 

6. He pardoned his sons on account of their youth ; but Prince 
Henry continued to give his father a great deal of vexation, and 
at length again openly rebelled. lie was actually leading an army 
against him, when the tumult of his mind threw him into a fever. 

7. Finding himself to be dying, he sent a repentant message to 
his father, entreating forgiveness, and beseeching that he would 
come and see him. The king, thinking his illness to be pre- 
tended, refused to visit hira, but sent him his ring as a token of 
pardon, which the prince received with thankfulness. 

8. A little before his death he desired to be laid on a heap of 
ashes, with a halter about his neck, to testify his deep humilia- 
tion and contrition. This was done, and in this state he expired. 
Henry's grief, when he heard that his son was dead, was very 
great indeed, and he bitterly reproached himself for having re- 
fused to go to him. As Prince Henry left no children, Richard 
became the heir to the throne. He was also of a turbulent tem- 
per, and had behaved very ill to his father. 

9. In 1188 the melancholy news reached Europe that the Sara- 
cens had taken Jerusalem. All the warriors of this quarter were 
at once animated with the desire of driving the Infidels from the 
Holy City. 

LI. — 1, 2, 3. Relate the particulars of King Henry's penance. 4. To what did the 
people attribute his victory over William? Why? 5. What was the consequence of 
the capture of William ? How did Henry treat his late enemies? 6. What more is said 



94 ABOUT RICHARD THE LION-HEARTED. 1189. 

10. Richard Plantageoet, and Philip, King of France, were 
among the first to assume the cross. Richard, jealous of the affec- 
tion of his father for his j'oungest brother, John, wished to take 
him with him to the Holy Land ; but Henry would not consent to 
this, and Richard, whose' fiery temper could not bear contradic- 
tion, joined Philip in making war upon Henry, instead of leading 
their troops against the infidels. 

11. Henry, being totally unprepared for such an attack, was 
obliged to make a disadvantageous treaty. But what afflicted him 
most, was, that John, his favorite son, had joined in the rebellion. 
This seemed to weigh down the poor king's heart more than any 
other affliction of his life, and he fell ill of a fever occasioned by 
anxiety. 

12. Feeling himself to be dying, he desired to be carried into a 
church, and laid before the altar, where he expired, on the 9th of 
July, 1189, in the fifty-seventh year of his age, and thirty-fifth of 
his reign. He was the wisest and ablest prince of his time, and 
the most powerful in the extent of his dominion of any that had 
filled the English throne. 

13. The dress of the nobility was at this period very splendid. 
Some persons wore their cloaks so long that they swept upon the 
ground ; and the sleeves of the gowns came down over the fingers, 
to the great inconvenience of the wearers, who could scarcely either 
walk or use their hands. But Henry introduced the Anjou fashion 
of wearing short cloaks, which gained him the surname of Curt 
Mantle. 



CHAPTER LII. 

Of Richard the Lion-hearted. 

1. We are now about to present to the reader one of the favorite 
heroes of romance ; Richard, surnamed Cceur de Lion, or the Lion- 
hearted, on account of his undaunted courage. He was very pre- 
possessing in his appearance. His eyes were blue, and his hair, 
what was then much admired, of a yellow hue. 

2. He was tall, and his figure extremely fine ; he had a majestic 
and stately mien ; and this, joined to his great courage and quick- 
ness of intellect, gave him on all occasions an ascendency over 
men's minds. He is said by historians to have been a good poli- 
tician, orator, and poet ; but though he possessed a great deal of 
talent, he was hot-headed and without judgment. 

3. His faults were, perhaps, too suitable to the unruly temper of 

of Prince Henry? W'ho became the heir to t)ie throne? 9. What happened in 1188? 
10. What was the cause of" Richard's rebellion? 11. What success )iad the rebels? 
What chiefly distressed the king? 12. When did Henry II. die? What was his age? 
How long had he reigned? 13. What is said of the dress of the nobility? Why was 
Henrv called Curt Mantle? 

Lli. — 1,2. What of Richard the I.ion-hearted ? 4. How did he treat his mother and 



ABOUT KICHAKD THE LION-HEARTED. 1191. 95 

the time he lived in, to be then cuusidered dangerous or repre- 
hensible. For his father's death he felt an extreme sorrow, and on 
seeing his dead l)ody, lie expressed an agony of remorse for his un- 
dutiful conduct. 

4. One of the first acts of his reign was to release his mother from 
her long confinement. He was very generous to his brother John ; 
but this, instead of inspiring any feelings of gratitude, only enabled 
him the more to injure his benefactor. 

5. Being desirous of acquiring glory, Richard resolved to go on 
a crusade. His father had left him a large sum of money, but not 
enough for his purpose ; so, in order to increase it, he sold the royal 
castles and estates ; and also put to sale the ofiices of the greatest 
trust and power. 

6. When some of his ministers remonstrated with him on these 
proceedings, he said, " He would sell London itself if he could find 
a purchaser." For a large sum of money he absolved the King of 
Scotland from his vassalage to the King of England, which, as we 
have stated, was the condition of King William's release. 

7. He also compelled his subjects to lend him money, and, in 
short, resorted to every means of raising funds, no matter how un- 
just or impolitic they might be. At length his armament was 
ready, and Richard arrived at Messina, in Sicily, on the 14th of 
September, 1190. Here he was joined by Philip, King of France, 
and it being too late in the season to proceed to Palestine imme- 
diately, it was agreed to pass the winter in Sioily. 

8. There could scarcely be found two persons less alike in charac- 
ter than these two kings. Richard, though proud and domineering, 
was brave and generous. Philip was equally proud, but shy and 
deceitful. It is not surprising that two such opposite characters 
should quarrel before their six months' residence in Sicily was over. 

9. Richard had, in his infancy, been contracted in marriage to 
Adelais, sister of Philip ; but his lather had repented of the engage- 
ment, and would not permit it to be fulfilled while he lived; and 
now Richard, having fallen in love with Berengaria, daughter of the 
King of Navarre, broke off his engagement with Adelais. 

10. Early in 1191, he prevailed with his mother to bring the 
Princess Berengaria to Messina. They arrived the day before he 
was obliged to sail ; but, it being Lent, during which season mar- 
riages cannot be solemnized in the Catholic Church, the union 
could not then take place. 

11. Eleanor returned to England, and the princess, accompanied 
by the Queen of Sicily, who was Richard's sister, embarked for the 
Holy Land. A violent storm arose, and the ship the two princesses 
were in, was in great danger. The King of Cyprus, however, re- 
fused to admit the vessel into his harbors, upon which Richard laid 
siege to the island, and in a short time got possession of it. 

12. Here he and Berengaria were married ; and leaving a governor 

his brother? Was his brother sratefiil to him? 5. What did Richard resolve to do? 
How iliil ho raise money? 7. When <iid he arrive at Messina? Who joined him there? 
8. How did Richard and Philip flirt'er in diaracter? 9, 10, il, 12. Relate the circum- 
Btfinces of the king'.s marriage. Relate the particulars of his. voyage from Sicily. 



96 EXPLOITS OF RICHARD IN PALESTINE. ] 191-1192. 

in the island, be sailed for Acre, where the King of Finance, who 
had left Sicily some time before, in high displeasure with Richard, 
had ali'eady arrived. 



CHAPTER LIII. 

Exploits of Richard in Palestine. — His violent Temper brings him into 
Trouble. — About the Old 3/aii, of the Mountain, and the Assassins. 

1. Acre was a large town on the coast of Palestine, in the pos- 
session of the Saracens, and had been besieged for two years by an 
army of Christians collected from all parts of Europe. The Chris- 
tians were now in their tui-n surrounded and besieged by a large 
army of Saracens, under the famous Saladin. 

2. The arrival of Richard revived the courage of the Christians. 
He led his troops to the assault in person, and broke down a postern 
door with his strong hand and weighty battle-axe. Saladin, who 
saw that Acre must soon fall before such vigorous assaults, gave 
the citizens permission to make the best terms they could for them- 
selves. 

3. On his own pari, he agreed to release all his Christian prisoners, 
and to restore to the crusaders the cross on which our Saviour suf- 
fered — or, rather, a relic which bore that reputation, and which had 
been taken by him at a former battle. But Saladin did not, or 
could not, at once comply with these conditions. 

4. The impetuous Richard would hear of no delay, and put to 
death all his Mohammedan prisoners, to the number of several thou- 
sand men. On account of this rashness and cruelty, Richard was 
justly charged with the death of as many Christian captives, whom 
Saladin slaughtered by way of reprisal. 

5. Richard exhibited his violent temper upon another occasion, 
of which he had much personal cause to rue the consequence. 
When the city of Acx'e surrendered, Leopold, Duke of Austria, 
caused his own banner to be displayed from the highest tower. 
Richard, highly exasperated at what he considered an insult, 
ordered the standard to be taken down, and being torn in pieces 
and trampled under foot, it was thrown into the ditch. 

6. Leopold felt the indignity, but dissembled his anger, and cir- 
cumstances gave him an opportunity, as we shall soon relate, of 
taking an ample revenge, though at the expense of his faith and 
honor. 

7. The knightly qualities of Richard were more agreeable to the 
spirit of the age than the more statesman-like ones of Philip. The 
rash valor and brilliant exploits in battle of the former gained him 
the applause of the multitude. Philip, who was of a jealous temper, 

LIII.— 1. What of Acre? 2. What did Richard do? 3. 4, 5, 6. Wliat instances of 



PHILIP RETURNS TO EUROPE.^ — ^1191-1192. 97 

took oflfence at this ; and his hatred for Richard was continually 
displaying itself. 

8. A contest had arisen between Conrad, Marquis of Montserrat, 
and Guy of Lusignan, for the empty title of King of Jerusalem, the 
substantial part, the kingdom itself, being in the possession of the 
Saracens. Philip espoused the cause of Conrad, whilst Richard 
maintained the right of Guy. 

9. Now there was an Arab prince, called The Old Man of the 
Mountain, who ruled over a small tribe called Assassins, who dwelt 
on Mount Lebanon. He had acquired such power over his fanat- 
ical subjects, that they paid the most implicit obedience to his com- 
mands; and fancied, when they sacrificed their lives for his sake, 
the highest joys of paradise would be their certain reward. 

10. It was the custom of this prince, when he imagined himself 
injured, to send some of his subjects secretly against the aggressor, 
and no precaution was sufficient to guard any man, however power- 
ful, against the attempts of the subtle and determined ruffians. 
From these is derived the name of assassin, or secret murderer, 
which is in common use. 

11. Conrad had given oflfence to this prince, who caused him to 
be murdered. Everybody in Palestine knew this to be the fact. 
But Philip affected to believe that Richard was the instigator of 
this crime, so entirely at variance with his open and manly, though 
violent character. He therefore selected a new body-guard, and 
took other precautions, implying dishonorable suspicions of his 
rival. 



CHAPTER LIV. 

Philip returns to Europe. — The wicked Orders he leaves with his Gen- 
eral. — More of Richard's Exploits. — Termination of his Career of 
Victory. — He receives news from England which determines him to 
return. 

1. It was not long before Philip found out that nothing but 
barren laurels were to be gained in this war with the Saracens, 
and that but a small share of these would fall to his lot. He sud- 
denly discovered that the air of Palestine was not favorable to hia 
health, and resolved to return home. 

2. But before he went, he made a solemn promise not to make 
any attempts on the territories of Richard, though at this very time 
heentertained the full intention of attacking them as soon as he got 
back. Leaving his troops in Palestine, under the command of the 
Duke of Burgundy, with secret orders to omit no opportunity of 
mortifying the English king, he proceeded directly to Rome. 

3. Here all his influence was exerted to procure from the pope 

Richard's violence of temper ? 7. Wliat excited Philip's jealousy of Richard? 9. What 
of the Old Mail of the Mountain? 10. Whence the name of assassin? 

LIV.— 1. What discovery did Philip make? 2. What promise did he make to Richard ? 



98 MORE OF Richard's exploits. — 1191-1192. 

an absolution from his promise to Eichard. But his Holiness, if 
he had not sufficient regard for justice, at least had sufficient regard 
for aj^pearances, and was politic enough not to sanction such agross 
outrage on the rights of one who at that very moment was risking 
his life in the cause of the church ; he therefore positively refused 
to comply. 

4. In the mean time, Richard, nnsusiiicious of these designs, 
thought only of his open enemies, and was rivalling in the Holy 
Land the imaginary actions of the heroes of romance. He defied 
armies with a handful of men, and challenged to combat, on his 
own person, an extended line of thousands, not one of whom dared 
to quit the ranks to encounter him. 

5. Notwithstanding the obstacles constantly thrown in his way 
by the adherents of the King of France, Richard at length arrived, 
after gaining a victory over Saladin, in one of the greatest battles 
of the age, within sight of Jerusalem, the object of his enterprise. 
But the French troops positively refused to advance to the siege, 
and Richard, to his great mortification, was compelled to stop short 
in his career of victory, and return to Ascalon. 

6. This march is described as the most jjainful of all that the 
army made ; and when at last, worn out by fatigue and famine, it 
arrived at Ascalon, the place was found to be in so ruinous a con- 
dition, that it became necessary immediately to repair it. Richard 
set the example, by working with more ardor than any common 
laborer. 

7. In the mean time, affiiirs in England had gone on very badly. 
Those to whom the government had been intrusted, quarrelled 
among themselves, and the whole kingdom was in a state of dis- 
turbance. When the King of France reached home, he lost no 
time in inviting Prince John to unite with him in seizing on 
Richard's territories. 

8. John was only prevented from doing so by Queen Eleanor, 
who appears at this time to have acted like a wise and good woman. 
Philip would then have invaded Normandy with his own forces ; but 
his barons refused to accompany him in so unjust and ungenerous 
an attempt. The news of these events reached Ascalon about the 
middle of April, 1192, and Richard resolved to return home. 

9. But while he was making his preparations, he heard that 
Saladin was besieging Joppa, and that the Christians there were 
reduced to the last extremity. Giving up, therefore, his design of 
immediately embarking, he went directly to Joppa, and defeated 
the pagans in a furious battle. 

10. Soon after this, he fell ill, and being unable to take advan- 
tage of his success, he concluded a truce with Saladin for three 
years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours. 

3. What did he do when he arrived at Rome? 4, 5. What of Richard's exploits? What 
compelled hiin to retreat? 7, S. What was the state of afl'airs iu England? 9. What 
jn-eveiited Richard's return? 



SHIPWRECK OF RICHARD CCEUR DE LION. — 1191-1192. 99 



CHAPTER LV. 

Shipwreck of Eichard. — He falls into the hands of his Enemies, and 
suffers Imprisonment. — Story of his faithful Minstrel. 




RICHARD I. AS A PILGRIM. 

1. On the 9tli of October, 1192, Eichard set out on his disastrous 
voyage. His daring courage had made a deep impression on the 
minds of the Infidels. Long after he had ceased to trouble the 
world, the Saracen mothers would bring their stubborn children to 
obedience by the threat of his coming ; and the horseman would 
upbraid his starting steed, by the exclamation, " Ha, fool I dost 
thou think Richard is in the bush ?" 

2. After many storms at sea, Richard was at last shipwrecked on 
the coast of Dalmatia. He now put on the disguise of a pilgrim, 
hoping to pass through Germany without being known. But the 
traveller displayed a generosity and profuseness more suitable to the 
king he was, than to the pilgrim he wished to appear. 

3. The intelligence soon spread through Germany, that Hugh the 
Merchant was no other than Richard Plantagenet. The king arrived, 
however, without molestation, at Frisak, near Saltzburg; and the 
governor there sent one of his knights to discover who he was. 

4. This man was by birth a Norman, and instantly knew the 
king ; but instead of betraying him, he presented him with a horse, 
and entreated him to fly and save himself. Accompanied by a boy 
and one other attendant, he reached a town near Vienna. 

LV. — 1. What impression did Richard leave upon the Sai acens ? 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Rclato 



100 



STORY OF HIS FAITHFUL MINSTREL. — 1191-1192. 



5. Here he entered an inn, and that no suspicion might be ex- 
cited concerning his rank, busied himself in turning the spit ; but 
he forgot to conceal a splendid ring which he wore on his finger ; and 
a man who had seen him at Acre knew him, and gave information 
to his bitter enemy, the Duke of Austria, who had never forgotten 
or forgiven the insult offered him after the capture of that city. 

6. The duke meanly seized the opportunity of vengeance, which 
chance afforded him, and threw the unfortunate prince into prison. 
His place of confinement was long kept concealed. There is a very 
pretty story told of the manner in which it was discovered ; whether 
it be true or not we cannot say, but at any rate it is worth repeating. 

7. Richard was a great friend of the Gay Science, as minstrelsy 
was called, and often practised the arts of song and music himself. 
Blondel de Nesle, a favorite minstrel, who had attended his person, 
devoted himself to discover the place of his confinement. He wan- 
dered in vain from castle to palace, till he had learned that a strong 
fortress, on the banks of the Danube, was watched with peculiar 
strictness, as if containing some prisoner of distinction. 




RICHARD DISCOVERED BY BLONDEL. 



8. The minstrel took his harp, and, approaching the castle as 
near as he durst, came so near the walls as to hear the captive 
soothing his imprisonment with music. Blondel touched his harp ; 
the prisoner heard and was silent ; upon this the minstrel played 
the first part of a tune known to Richard, who instantly played the 
second part ; and thus the faithful servant knew that the captive 
was no other than his royal master. 



his adventures till his seizure by the Duke of Austria. 7, 8. How was it ascertained 
where he was confined? 9, 10, 11, 12. Relate his story till his release. 



INTERDICT AND EXCOMMUNICATION. — 1194. 101 

9. But this knowledge was of little immediate advantage to 
Richard ; for when the news reached the EmjDeror of Germany, he 
compelled the duke to surrender his jirisoner. The treatment of 
Richard was now worse than before; he was committed to a gloomy 
dungeon and loaded with chains. 

10. How long he remained here, we do not exactly know ; but 
after a while he was taken to the town of Worms, where a meeting 
of the princes of Germany, called a diet, was to be held. While 
Richard was on the road to this place, he was met by some persons 
sent by his mother to attend upon him. 

11. He received them very cordially, and inquired with the 
greatest kindness for all his friends. When they told him of his 
brother's behavior, of which we shall tell you more particularly in 
a short time, he was extremely shocked ; but soon recovering his 
cheerfulness, said, with a smile, " My brother John is not made for 
conquering kingdoms." 

12. The emperor, to justify his conduct, charged Richard before 
the diet with many crimes committed in Palestine. But Richard 
defended himself so eloquently, and pathetically, that many persons 
shed tears on hearing him, and all were convinced of the malice of 
his accusers. The emjieror was compelled to treat him better, and 
to agree to set him at liberty on payment of a ransom, equal to 
about one and a half million of dollars. 



CHAPTER LVI. 

Explanation of the terms Interdict and Excommunication. — Richard 
returns to England. — Pardons his brother John. 

1. When the news of this agreement reached France, it threw 
Philip into the greatest consternation, and he sent a secret message 
to Prince John, " bidding him take care of himself, for the devil 
was unchained." Philip and John then tried to bribe the Emperor 
of Germany to keep Richard a prisoner a year longer. 

2. Being exceedingly avaricious, he longed to accept their offer; 
but he dared not do so, for the pope, considering Richard as the 
champion of Christendom, threatened the emperor with excommu- 
nication if he did not fulfil his engagement. 

3. There were two punishments by the infliction of which the pope 
endeavored to maintain his authority. One was by forbidding, or in- 
terdicting, divine service to be publicly performed. When a nation 
was under an interdict, as it is called, the churches were shut ; the bells 
were not rung, the dead were buried in ditches and holes, without the 
performance of the funeral service ; diversions of all kinds were for- 
bidden, and everything wore an appearance of mourning and gloom. 

LVI. — 1, 2. What did Philip do when he heard of the treaty for Richard's release ? What 
saved Richard from his machinations? 3. What was an interdict? 4. What was excom- 

9* 



102 



RICHARD RETURNS TO ENGLAND. — 1194. 



4. Excommunication was a worse sentence still, and was levelled 
at individuals, as an interdict was at a collection of people, such as a 
village, a state, or a nation. A person who was excommunicated was 
considered as unholy and polluted ; every one was forbidden to come 
near him, or render him any friendly offices. Thus, if the sentence 
could have been enforced, it was possible for the most potent monarch 
to become, by a single mandate of the pope, a miserable outcast. 




KICHARD FORGIVING HIS BROTHER JOHN. 

5. Queen Eleanor, as you may well believe, and everybody in 
England who loved King Richard, — and there were many who did, 
— used every means to raise the money required for his ransom. 
A general tax was levied to procure it, but this not proving suffi- 
cient, the nobles voluntarily contributed a quarter of their yearly 
incomes, and the silver that was in the churches and monasteries 
was melted down. 

6. When the money was collected, Queen Eleanor took it her- 
self to Germany, and had the happiness of receiving her son, and 
bringing him to England. He landed at Sandwich on the 20th of 
March, 1194, after an absence of four years. He was received with 
overflowings of joy, and in London with such a display of wealth, 
that the Germans'who accomi)anied him exclaimed, " If our empe- 
ror had known the riches of England, your ransom, O king, would 
have been much greater!" 

7. After Eichard had settled the affiiirs of his kingdom, he set 



munication ? 6. When did Richard reach England? 7, 8. How did he treat his brother 
John? 



DEATH OF RICHARD. 119'J. 103 

out for Normandy, to defend it from an attack -with which it was 
threatened by Philip. On the morning after his landing at BarHeur, 
Prince John suddenly rushed into his apartment, and, throwing 
himself at his feet, implored his forgiveness. 

8. This the king immediately granted, though he could not feel 
any atiection for such a brother. Indeed, he soon after said to 
some of his attendants, " I wish I may forget my brother's injuries 
as soon as he will forget my pardon of them." 



CHAPTER LVII. 

Death of Richard the Lion-hearted. 

1. The remainder of Richard's life was passed in a succession of 
wars and truces with the King of France. At last, through the 
mediation of the poj^e, negotiations were commenced for a more 
lasting peace. But these were brought to an abrupt conclusion by 
the death of Richard. 

2. The Viscount of Limoges, a vassal of the king, had found a 
considerable treasure on his lands. Richard claimed this, as of his 
right as sovereign ; and on the viscount's refusing to give u}} more 
than a part, declared positively that he would have the whole, and 
immediately laid siege to the castle of Chalus, where the treasure 
was supposed to be lodged. 

3. The garrison offered to surrender the castle, and all that was 
in it, provided they might march out with their arms. Richard 
vindictively refused their offer, protesting he would take the jilace 
by force, and put them all to death. 

4. On the 28tli of March, 1199, as he was taking a survey of the 
castle, and giving directions for the assault, he was wounded by an 
arrow from the bow of Bertrand de Gourdon. The wound appeared 
trifling at first, but in a few days the life of the king was despaired 
of. Before he died the castle was taken, and all the garrison were 
instantly hanged, excepting Bertrand, whom Richard ordered to be 
brought into his presence. " What harm have I done to you," said 
the king to him, "that you should thus have attempted my death?" 

5. " You killed my father and brother with your own hands," 
replied the man ; " and intended to have killed me, and I am ready 
to suffer any torments you can invent, with joy, since I have been 
so lucky as to kill one who has brought so many miseries on 
mankind." 

6. Richard, conscious of the truth of this bold reply, bore it with 
patience, and ordered the man to be set at liberty ; but this com- 
mand was not obeyed, and Bertrand was put to death as soon as the 
king had expired. Richard died on the 6th of April, 1199, in the 

LVII. — 1, 2, 3, 4. Relate the particulars of Richard's death. 5. Relate the particulars 
of the interview between him and his slayer. 6. When did Richard die? How long did 
he live? How long reign? 7. To whom did he leave his possessions? 



104 



ABOUT JOHN, SURNAMED LACKLAND. — 1200. 



forty-second year of his age, and tenth of his reign, only four 
months of which ha-d been passed in England. 

7. He had no children, and left all his dominions to his brother 
John. He had at one time appointed Arthur of Brittany, the son 
of his next younger brother, Geoffrey, to be his heir, but on his 
deathbed he altered his will, being influenced, as it is supposed, by 
Eleanor, who had a great hatred to Constance, the mother of 
Arthur. 



CHAPTER LVIII. 

Account of John, surnmned Lackland. — He takes his Nephew Arthur 
prisoner, and causes him to be murdered. — His Loss of Normandy. 




^Siii 



WW 



DEATH OF PRINCE ARTHUR. 



1. John, surnamed Lackland, because he possessed no territory 
during the lifetime of his father, was the worst king and the worst 
man that ever wore the crown of England. Indeed, there are very 
few persons, whose lives are recorded, who possessed fewer redeem- 
ing qualities than King John. He was perfidious, cruel, and rapa- 
cious, and had neither personal bravery nor mental ability to make 
up for his faults. 

2. He had early shown his incapacity for government ; for his 
father, Henry II., intending that Ireland should be his inheritance, 
sent him thither to accustom the people to him. But he insulted 

LVIII. — 1. What is said of John? Why called Lackland? 2. What instance had ho 



DEATH OF PRINCE ARTHUR. — 1202. 105 

the Irish chiefs, ridiculed their customs and habits, and behaved 
with so much folly, that his father changed his purpose. 

3. Philip of France, who was glad of an excuse for interfering in 
the affairs of England, undertook the cause of Arthur, which had 
been placed in his hands by Constance. But John found means to 
persuade Philip that it would be more for his advantage to aban- 
don Arthur, who was accordingly given up to John, and would 
have been put to death, had he not found means to escape. 

4. Three years afterwards, in 1202, Arthur married a daughter 
of Philip, who then in good earnest set about enforcing his right. 
Young Arthur broke into Poitou at the head of a small army. 
Passing near the castle of Mirabel, he heard that his grandmother, 
Eleanor, his own and his mother's most determined enemy, was in 
that place, and made haste to lay siege to it. 

5. He had nearly got possession of the castle, when John, acting 
with a vigor quite unusual to him, came suddenly to his mother's 
rescue, and took the unfortunate Arthur prisoner, Avith his sister, 
called the Damsel of Bretagne, who was carried to England, and 
kept in perpetual imprisonment in Bristol Castle. 

6. Arthur was taken to the castle of Falaise, and of his subsequent 
fate nothing is known with certainty. The most probable account of 
it is as follows : the king first proposed to William de la Bray, one of 
his servants, to murder Arthur, but William replied, that he was a 
gentleman, not a hangman, and he positively refused compliance. 

7. Another instrument of murder was found, and was despatched 
to Falaise ; but Herbert de Bourg, the governor, desirous to save 
the unhappy young prince, pretended that he would execute the 
king's order, and sent back the assassin. He placed the prince in 
concealment, and, announcing that he was dead, had the funeral 
service publicly performed for him. 

8. But the Bretons were so much exasperated at the supposed 
murder of their jjrince, that Herbert found it necessary to inform 
them of his being alive. No sooner did John hear of it than he 
had Arthur removed to Rouen, where he himself resided. The 
prince being brought into the presence of his uncle, threw himself 
on his knees before him, and begged for mercy ; but the barbarous 
tyrant, making no reply, stabbed him with his own hand. 

9. All men were struck with horror at this inhuman deed, and 
John became an object of universal detestation. The people of Brit- 
tany laid their complaints before Philip, as their liege lord, and 
demanded justice for this violence committed on one of the chief 
vassals of the crown. 

10. Philip received their application with pleasure, and sum- 
moned John to stand a trial before him. John did not appear, 
and, with the concurrence of the peers of France, he was pro- 
nounced guilty of murder, and all his territories in France were 
declared forfeit to his superior lord. 

shown of incapacity to govern? 3. Whose cause did Philip espouse? Why abandon it? 
4. Why resume the support of it? Relate the particulars of Arthur's capture. 6, 7, 8. 
What became of Arthur? 10. What did Philip do when ho heard of Arthur's murder? 
11. What became of John's possessions in France ? 



106 JOHN QUARRELS WITH THE POPE. 1208. 

11. Philip proceeded at once to execute his sentence. John could 
make but little opi>osition, because his barons refused to assist him. 
Normandy was severed from the crown of England, after it had 
been in the possession of the descendants of Rollo for three hun- 
dred years. His mother's inheritance, also, and nearly all the rest 
of John's territories in France, were yielded up to Philip. 



CHAPTER LIX. 

John quarrels with the Pope. — About the Jews. — John excornmunicated. 
— He submits to degrading Terms. 

1. It would seem that John had difficulties enough to contend 
with already; but, in 1208, he must needs involve himself in a 
dispute with the pope, respecting the choice of an Archbishop of 
Canterbury. The pope, Innocent III., insisted on the election of 
Stephen Langton, an Englishman of very superior abilities, but 
John refused to recognize his right of dictation. 

2. The pope then laid the kingdom under an interdict. This, 
however, was not much regarded by the king, who employed him- 
self in expeditions against the Welsh and Irish, and in extorting 
money from his own subjects by many unjust and cruel methods. 
One of his contrivances was to assemble all the abbots and abbesses 
at London; and when he had collected them together, he kept 
them there till they had paid a large sum of money. 

3. But the JcAvs were the special objects of his cruelty. Ever 
since the taking of Jerusalem by Titus, in the year 72 after Christ, 
the Jews have been an outcast, though still a separate people. 
About the time of Henry II., many of them went over and settled 
in England ; but they were treated with many indignities, and were 
obliged to wear a square yellow cap to distinguish them from 
Christians. 

4. As they were cut oft' from all public employments, they devoted 
themselves to getting money ; and the taking of interest for the loan 
of money being forbidden to Christians, the Jewish money-lenders, 
having all the business to themselves, became very rich. In order 
to distinguish their houses from those of the Christians, they were 
required to build them with the chimneys over the doors. Houses 
of this description are yet to be seen in England. 

5. They were exposed to many cruelties to extort from them 
their wealth, as it was considered no sin to plunder or even murder 
a Jew, more especially if the object was to get money for a crusade; 
it being deemed that the cause justified the crime. 

G. The pope, finding that his interdict made no impression, now 
resorted to the more severe mode of bringing John to obedience. He 

LIX.— 1. What new rjuarrel was John involved in ? 2. How did he get money? 3,4, 
5. Wliat of tlie Jews? 6. What measure did the pojie adopt, whin he found his inter- 



JOHN SUBMITS TO THE POPE. 1208. 107 

excommunicated him, absolved his subjects from their oath of alle- 
giance, and published a sort of crusade against him, exhorting all 
Christian princes and barons to unite in making war upon and 
dethroning him. 

7. The pope made particular application to Philip, who, as w^e 
may believe, was not slow to avail himself of the opportunity, and 
assembled a numerous fleet and army for the invasion of England. 
John now summoned his subjects to take up arms in defence of 
their country, and the call was promptly obeyed, for their fear of 
being conquered by the French was greater than their hatred of the 
king. 

8. But the pope had no desire to increase the power of Philip ; 
his only wish was to humble John. Whilst he threatened the use 
of force, he did not neglect the use of artifice. By his directions, 
Pandulf, his representative or legate in France, crossed over to 
Dover, under pretence of treating with the barons in favor of the 
King of France, but in reality to induce John to submit to the pope. 

9. This artful priest found means to destroy the confidence which 
John should have felt for his own troops, and to persuade him that 
his only hope of safety lay in entire submission to the pope. Hav- 
ing excited the king's fears to the utmost, he then j^roposed the 
terms upon which the pope's protection should be granted to him. 
These were very severe, and such as no high-minded man would 
have submitted to. 

10. The legate required him not only to acknowledge Langton as 
archbishop, but also to resign his crown to the pope, promising that 
it should be restored to him. John, regardless of everything but 
the present danger, agreed to these ignominious terms. So, taking 
his crown from his head, he placed it on the ground before the 
legate, and that haughty prelate, to show his contempt for his 
majesty, actually placed his foot upon it. 

11. John then knelt do^ni, and placing his hands between those 
of the legate, (which was the mode in which a vassal SAvore fealty 
to his lord,) acknowledged that he held his crown as vassal to the 
pope, and swore to serve him faithfully, and to pay him an annual 
tribute. The sentence of excommunication was then revoked, and 
Philip was forbidden to invade the territories of the church, as the 
pope now called England. He was highly incensed at this disap- 
pointment, but was obliged to submit. 

diet of no effect? 7. What did the English do? 8, 9, in, 11. How was the quarrel 
Iietween the king and the pope settled? What degrading ceremony did John go 
through ? 



108 



CONDUCT OF THE BARONS. — 1208-1210. 



CHAPTER LX. 

Magna Charta signed. — The Nobles excommunicated by the Pope. 
They mvite the Assistance of the French, who invade England, 
Death of John. 




KING JOHN CONSIDERING THE MAGNA CHARTA. 

1. John, relieved from the fear of his foreign enemies, found 
fresh cause for disquietude in the conduct of his own barons. Tired 
out by his weakness and wickedness, they had long been conspiring 
against him. They were now joined by Langton, the new arch- 
bishop, who, having discovered a concealed copy of the charter 
granted by Henry I., drew up from it a declaration of rights, which 
the barons in full assembly apj^roved of. 

2. The king was called upon to sign this, but refused to do so. 
He was now deserted by all who had hitherto professed to support 
the royal authority, and was left with a retinue of only seven 
knights. After trying various expedients, he Avas at last compelled 
to yield at discretion. 

3. He met the barons on Friday, the 15th of June, 1215, in a 
large meadow, between Windsor and Staines, called Runimede, 
which means the meadow of council, and which was so called because 
it had been used by the Saxons as a place for public meetings. 

4. At this meeting was signed the famous Magna Charta, which 
has since been considered as the foundation of English liberty. By it 



LX. — 1. What new cause of disquietutle had John? .3. Where wa« his meeting witli 
the barona held? Whence the name Runimede? 4. What was done at this meeting? 



MAGNA CHARTA SIGNED. — 1215. 



109 



the nobles were relieved from much of the oppressive tyranny of 
the feudal system. This had been constantly increasing, till no 
subject could act in the commonest affairs of life without the king's 
consent, which could be obtained only for money. 

5. We can understand the sort of interference the king had in 
every person's concerns, when we learn that no one could marry 
without his consent, and that he could oblige heiresses to marry 
whom he pleased. Enormous sums were paid by females, either 
for leave to marry, or, more commonly, that they might not be 
forced to wed against their will. , 

6. Thus we read of a Countess of Chester, who paid King Stephen 
five hundred marks, that she might not be obliged to marry for five 
years; and of a Countess of Warwick, who paid King John five 
hundred marks that she might not be compelled to marry till she 
pleased. This sum would be equal to forty or perhaj^s fifty thou- 
sand dollars at the present day. 

7. The great charter contains sixty-three articles, and yet only 
one of these is for the protection of the laboring people. It pro- 
vides that " even a farmer shall not by any fine be deprived of his 
carts, ploughs, and implements of husbandry." The invidious 
word "even" shows plainly how little they were considered or 
thought of at this period. 




KING JOHN SIGNING THE GREAT CHARTER. 

8. John signed the charter with great reluctance ; as soon, there- 
fore, as he quitted Runimede, he retired, sullen and out of humor, 
to the Isle of Wight, Avhere he spent three months in planning 
schemes for revenging himself on the barons. He courted the 



6, 6. What instances of the king's power? 7. What of the great charter 
10 



? 8. What did 



110 DEATH OF KING JOHN. 1216. 

favor of the common sailors, and sent agents into foreign countries 
to hire troops. He also despatched a message to Kome, to com- 
phiin to liis liege lord, the pope, of the \dolence with which he had 
been treated by the rebellious barons. 

9. The pojje was highly incensed at the audacity of the barons, 
and as he had formerly excomnumicated the king, so he now pro- 
ceeded to excommunicate the nobles of England. As soon as this 
decree of the i>i>pe, or bull, as it is called, was published in Eng- 
land, John, starting from his concealment, appeared before Roches- 
ter with an army of foreign soldiers. 

10. The barons were 'taken completely by surprise, for, despising 
the king too much to believe him capable of any vigorous measures, 
they had made no preparations against him, and were amusing them- 
selves with tournaments, bull-baitings and feastings, the usual diver- 
sions of the times. Tliey were soon reduced by the king to great 
extremities, and in their distress they did the same thing that the 
pope had done before ; they invited the French to invade England, 
offering to accept Prince Louis, the son of Philip, as their king. 

11. Philip did not dare openly to accept the invitation; but 
whilst in public he prohibited his son from making war against the 
vassal of the pope, he jirivately supplied him with men and money. 
Louis landed in England, May 23d, 1216, and entered London in a 
sort of triumph, the citizens doing homage to him as their proper 
sovereign. 

12. The foreign troojis who had supported John were i^rincipally 
the subjects of France, and they now refused to fight against their 
prince. Deserted by his troops, John was compelled to fly. Every 
place submitted to Louis, until he came to Dover. This was bravely 
defended, and time was thus given to the barons to reflect on their 
error in calling in the aid of foreigners. 

13. Many of them again joined John, who was thus enabled to 
muster a considerable army, with which he marched from Lynn into 
Lincolnshire. His route lay across the mouths of two small rivers 
along the coast. These are called the Washes. At low water they 
are nearly dry, and may then be crossed with safety; but the difli- 
culty is, after you have crossed one, to be in time to cross the other 
before the tide rises. 

14. The rear of the king's army Avas overtaken by the tide, and 
his carriages, money, provisions, and baggage of every sort were 
lost. This accident, added to his previous anxieties, threw the king 
into a fever. With great difficulty he reached Newark, where he 
soon after died, of a fever occasioned by fatigue and anxiety. This 
event occurred October 19th, 1216, in the forty-ninth year of his 
age, and the eighteenth of his reign. He left two sons, Henry and 
Richard, and three daughters. 

John do after he quitted Runimede? 9. Wliat did the pope do? 10. How were the barons 
occupied? What did they do to secure themselves from John? 11. What did Philip of 
Trance do? 12,13,14. Give an account of the king's affairs. When did John die? 
What was his ago? How long had he reigned? 



COATS OF ARMS, OR ARMORIAL BEARINGS. — 1216. Ill 

CHAPTER LXI. 
Henry III.— Coals of Arms, or Armorial Bearings. 

1. When King John died, his son Henry, called Henry of Win- 
chester, was only eight years old. As he grew up, he was found to 
be in character the opi^osite of his father. He was gentle, merciful, 
and humane, kind and affectionate to his family, and liberal to his 
friends. 

2. Had his abilities been equal to his disposition, he would have 
made a very good king; but the weakness of his conduct rendered 
him contemptible. His personal appearance, too, was exceedingly 
disadvantageous ; for, though he was of a tolerable height, he had 
no dignity in his manner; his countenance was not pleasing, and 
his lelt eyelid drooped so much as almost to cover the eye. 

3. The Earl of Pembroke, who was a sagacious and good man, 
was made governor of the young king, and protector of the king- 
dom. By his wise and jJi'udent conduct, the rebel barons were 
brought back to their allegiance to the king, and Louis soon found 
himself deserted by all but his French troops. 

4. These were soon after defeated by the Earl of Pembroke at 
Lincoln. In this battle, which decided the fate of Louis in England, 
only three of the P"'rench knights were killed. Indeed, a knight 
completely armed seldom ran any other risk than that of being dis- 
mounted, and it could only be by some chance if he was wounded. 

5. It is said that Philip, King of France, in a battle with the 
Germans, after being knocked from his horse, was a long time sur- 
rounded by the enemy, and received blows from all kinds of weapons 
without losing a drop of blood. It is even said that while he lay 
upon the ground, a German soldier wanted to pierce his neck with 
a dart, but could not accomplish his object. 

6. The reader may wonder how people could know one another 
when they were thus covered up in armor. Eacli knight orna- 
mented his helmet, or his shield, with some figure, such as an 
animal, a flower, a warlike weapon, or any other thing that pleased 
his fancy. It may be suggested that it would have been as easy 
for each one to have written his name upon his shield at once. 

7. This might have been a good plan, if all had been scholars; 
but though every man could distinguish an eagle from a lion, there 
might not have been one in a thousand who could have distin- 
guished the name of Henry from that of Louis. 

8. Before the crusades, every knight adopted what crest on his 
helmet, and device on his shield, he liked best ; but the sons of 
those who had fought in the Holy Land had a pride in adopting 
the devices their fathers had borne there ; and thus coats of arms, as 
they were called, became hereditary in the families of the crusaders. 

LXI. — 1. Who succeeded John upon the throne? Wliat is said of Henry III.? 3. 
What of the protector? 4. What was the success of the French invaders?. What is said 
of defensive armor? 6. IIow were knights distinguished from one another? Why not 
write the names ? 8, 9. What of coats of arms ? 



112 



DISTURBED STATE OF ENGLAND. 



-1223. 



9. But coats of arms, or armorial beamigs, as they are also called, 
have long ceased to be confined to the descendants of crusaders; 
and what was, at first, an honorable distinction, is, at present, little 
more than an unmeaning; ornament. 



CHAPTER LXII. 

Disturbed State of England after the Death of Pembroke. — By what 
mean'i the King obtained Money. — Of Benevolences. 




'1 nMiiiiiiiiiiiiiHi iiT^^ " :,.=-t;^Nii 

KING HKNKY AND THE NOBLES. 

1. After the defeat of the army at Lincoln, Louis was glad to 
make peace, and to withdraw into France. The Earl of Pembroke 
continued to govern the kingdom with honor, wisdom, and success, 
till 1219, when, to the misfortune of England and its king, he died. 

2. In 1223, when Henry was sixteen years old, he was declared 
of age to govern for himself His want of ability now became ap- 
parent, and he was found totally unqualified for maintaining a : 
proper sway among the turbulent barons. 

3. Those who had been intrusted with the keeping of the royal ' 
castles refused to give them up, and broke out into open rebellion 
when forcible means were used to compel them to do so. The king . 
would then purchase their return to allegiance by concessions. 

4. But the nobles were most highly offended by the favor shown to 
foreigners by Heniy. By the advice of Peter, Bishop of Winchester, 



LXII.— 1. When did the Earl of Pemhiuke die? 2, 3. Wliat was the state of thai 



OF BENEVOLENCES. — 1236. 113 

a native of Poictou, the king invited over a great number of the 
people of that province, and bestowed upon them the chief offices 
of the state, being persuaded that they were more to be relied on 
than the English, and that they would serve to counterbalance the 
great power of the barons. 

5. The resistance of the nobles proved vain ; their measures were 
disconcerted, and the most violent among them were obliged to flee 
the kingdom, and their confiscated estates were bestowed upon the 
odious foreigners. At length the clergy took offence at the conduct 
of the Bishop of Winchester. The primate, as the Archbishop of 
Canterbury is called, formally demanded the dismission of all for- 
eigners, threatening the king with excommunication if he did not 
comply with the demand. 

6. Henry knew full well that an excommunication, in the exist- 
ing state of jjublic feeling, Avould be very dangerous to him, and 
was obliged to submit. The foreigners were banished, and natives 
were appointed to office in their stead. 

7. But the English in vain flattered themselves that they should 
be free from foreign influence. In 1236 the king married Eleanor, 
daughter of the Count of Provence, and immediately raised her re- 
lations to the highest offices. Many young ladies also came over 
from Provence, and were married to some of the chief noblemen in 
England. 

. 8. The king was so profuse in his generosity to these favorites, 
that his treasures were soon exhausted, and he was often obliged to 
apply to parliament (as the great council of the nation began about 
this time to be called) for a supply of money. This body took 
advantage of his necessity to extort from him a confirmation of the 
Magna Charta, and the grant of new rights. 

9. To render himself indeiDcndent of them, Henry resorted to 
various modes of procuring money. He would invite himself to the 
houses of his subjects, and always expected a present at the door; 
he extorted from the Jews, wherever he found them ; he demanded 
benevolences, or forced contributions from his nobility and clergy ; 
but all these expedients proving insufficient, he was at last obliged 
to sell his jewels and his plate. 



CHAPTER LXIII. 

The King and the Pope unite against the Churchmen. — Illustrative 
Anecdote of the Times. 

1. The pope, profiting by the weakness of Henry, made great 
encroachments on the privileges of the Church of England. The 

kingdom after his death? 4. What gave particular offence to the nobles? 5,6. What 
induced the king to banish the foreigners? 7. Whom did the king marry? 8. What 
is the parliament? What did the parliament obtain from the king? 9. What were 
benevolences? 

10* 



114 



POWER OF THE SEE OF ROME. 1230. 



clergy expostulated in vain ; the king, hoping to derive some private 
advantage therefrom, supported the pope's legate in all his measures. 



t^*<- 



(0 




2. They mutually supported one another in their exactions. 
Whenever the king demanded money for himself, the legate took 
care to make a demand also. At length tlie prelates, quite tired 
of remonstrating, resolved to meet and consider of some remedy to 
prevent the rapacity of the legate. 

3. They assembled accordingly, but scarce had they begun to 
complain to one another of the miseries they sufl'ered, when the 
legate entered the assembly, and made a demand for more money ; 
this they considered as such an accumulation of impudence, that 
they gave him a blunt refusal. 

4. An accident happened about this time, which strikingly ex- 
hibits the submission of the people to the j^apal power. Some 
business took the legate to Oxford. He was received and enter- 
tained there with great magnificence. As the luxury in which 
these Italian dignitaries lived was great, several scholars of the 
university, either from curiosity or hunger, entered the kitchen, 
while the legate's dinner was preparing. 

5. After admiring the wealth and plenty which were lavishly dis- 
played on all sides, one of them, a poor Irish scholar, ventured to ask 
the cook for a bit of something to relieve his hunger. The cook, in- 
stead of giving the alms, threw a ladle of boiling water in the face of 
the petitioner. This action so jirovoked a Welsh student, who was 
13 resent, that he drew his bow and shot the cook dead upon the sjjot. 

LXIII. — 1. What of the pope's conduct? 2. In what did the pope and Henry agree? 
3. What did the clergy do? 4,5,6,7. Relate the anecdote about the legate's servant 
and the scholar. 



ABOUT SIMON DE MONTFORT. 115 

6. The legate, hearing the tumult, tied in alarm to the tower of 
the church and remained there till evening. Pie then ventured to 
come forth, and hastening to the king, comj^lained of this killing 
of his servant. The king fell into a great passion, and ofiered to 
put all the offenders to death. 

7. The legate at first insisted on taking extreme vengeance, but 
was at length appeased by projjer submission from the university ; 
all the scholars of that college which had offended were ordered to 
be stripjied of their gowns, and to walk barefoot, with halters about 
their necks, to the legate's house, and humbly ask for pardon. 



CHAPTER LXIV. 

About Simon de Montfort. — The Mad Parliament. 

1. Among the barons of England there was one named Simon de 
Montfort. He was a son of that de Montfort Avho made himself so 
fiimous in France in the war against the Albigenses, a sect of Chris- 
tians, against whom the pope got up a crusade. 

2. This Simon de Montfort had once been a great favorite with 
Henry, who had loaded him with riches and honors. He had raised 
him to the dignity of Earl of Leicester, and had consented to liis 
marriage with his own sister, Eleanor, a match which gave great 
offence to her other brother, Eichard, and to the English barons. 

3. Although he owed the great wealth which gave him the power 
to injure, to the liberality of Henry, he was the most active in ex- 
citing opposition to the king. Although he was himself a foreigner, 
no one was so loud as he in declaiming against the indignity of sub- 
mitting to the rule of foreigners. 

4. He left no means untried to gain the favor of all classes of 
society. His machinations at length proved successful. The barons 
resolved to take the government into their own hands. The inten- 
tion of resisting the king's authority first showed itself at the parlia- 
ment house, where the barons appeared clad in complete armor, 
with their swords by their sides. 

5. The king at liis entry was struck with this unusual appear- 
ance, and anxiously inquired what was their purpose, and whether 
they intended to make him a prisoner. To this they submissively 
replied, that he was not their prisoner, but their sovereign ; that 
they intended to grant him large supplies, but they must have some 
return for them ; 

6. That he had frequently made submissions to this parliament, 
and promised to observe the great charter, but had still allowed him- 
self to be led into the commission of the same errors, and therefore 
he must now be .subjected to more strict regulations, and delegate 

LXIV.— 1. Who was Simon dp Montfort? 2,3. What is said of him? 4. What did 
he excite the nobles to do? 6,6. With what success? 7. When did the new parlia- 



116 ABOUT PRINCE EDWARD. 1258 

sufficient authority to those who were willing to redress the public 
grievances. 

7. Henry agreed to the demand, and promised to assemble a par- 
liament at Oxford, to form a plan for the new government. This 
parliament, which w\as afterwards called the Mad Parliament, on 
account of the confusion which resulted from its measures, met on 
the 11th of June, 1258. 

8. Twenty-four barons were chosen by the parliament, at the head 
of whom was de Montfort, and to these authority was given to reform 
all abuses. These barons, under this pretext, lorded it over the king, 
and assumed a right to govern the kingdom. But the people scarcely 
acknowledging such rulers, or not knowing whom to obey, paid no 
respect to the laws, and it seemed as if all government were dissolved. 



CHAPTER LXV. 

Character and Conduct of Prince Edward. — Battle of Lewes. — The 

" Mise " of Lewes. 

1. The barons had now enjoyed the sovereign power for three ; \ 
years ; and had employed it, not for the reformation of abuses, which 
was the pretence upon which they obtained it, but for the aggran- 
dizement of themselves and their f\iniilies. They abused their 
authority so much that all orders of men became dissatisfied. 

2. Prince Edward, who had already given evidence of his ability 
and courage, was loudly called upon to stand forward and assert his i 
own and his father's rights. But he, as well as his father, had taken i ! 
an oath to obey these self-constituted rulers, and, although absolved 1 1 
by the pope frooi his oath, he declared that he would abide by what 11 
he had sworn to. 

3. This fidelity gained him the confidence of all parties, and en- 
abled him afterwards to recover the royal authority for his father, 
and to perform many great actions. The king, however, as soon as 
he had received the absolution, issued a proclamation, declaring ;| 
that he had resumed his authority, and was resolved to protect his 
subjects against the tyranny of the barons. 

4. The next three years were passed in fruitless negotiations be- - 
tween the king and them. Treaties were made, which were broken 
as soon as ratified. Louis IX., King of France, who well merits his 
title of Saint, for he was one of the most virtuous, as well as one of 
the most able men who ever lived, pursued a very different policy 
from that which had actuated his grandfather Philii^. 

5. He tried to make j^eace between Henry and his barons. But 
Henry was too weak, and de Montfort was too ambitious, and all 

ment meet? What is it called? 8. What did the parliament do? What was the con- 
sequence of their acts? 

LXV. — 1. To what purpose did the barons employ their power? 2, 3. What of Prince 
Edward? What did the king do? 4, 5. What of Louis IX.? 6, 7. What was the resnlt 



CHANGE IN THE CONSTITUTION OF PARLIAMENT. 1264. 117 

Louis' endeavors were unavailing. At length both jjarties had re- 
course to arms. The hostile forces met at Lewes, May 14th, 1264. 

6. The royal troops were formed in three divisions, commanded 
respectively by Henry, his brother Richard, and Prince Edward. 
jThe prince attacked the body of the rebels opposed to him, with 
Buch fury, that he drove them before him, and never stopped from 
the pursuit till he was four miles from the field of battle. 

7. On his return from this pursuit, he found that the other two 
|divisions of the royal army had been defeated, and that his father 
and uncle were prisoners in the hands of the rebels. He en- 
deavored in vain to prevail on his followers to renew the battle, 
but was at length obliged to submit to such terms as Leicester 
would grant him. 

8. It was agreed that Edward and his cousin Henry should sur- 
render themselves as prisoners, in lieu of their respective fathers, 
who, with all the other prisoners on both sides, were to be released. 
There were other conditions in this agreement, which is called the 
il//.se of Lewes, from an old French word having that meaning. 

0. All the nobility of England who valued themselves upon their 
N(irman descent, and who disdained the language of their native 
country, made familiar use of the French tongue until this period, 
and for some time after. 



CHAPTER LXVI. 

A Change made in the Constitution of Parliament. — Prince Edward 
makes his Escape from Imprisonment. — The Barons subdued. 

1. Leicester, having got the whole royal family into his power, 
paid no regard to the Mise of Lewes. He still detained the king a 
prisoner, and used his name for his own lofty purposes. He even 
formed plans of raising himself to the throne. But his ambition 
caused his downfall. The Earl of Gloucester, his former associate, 
and now his rival, secretly planned his ruin. 

2. Perceiving himself to be an object of suspicion to the nobles, 
Leicester sought to increase and to turn to advantage his popularity 
with the other classes. He summoned a parliament, and, that he 
might control its measures, he made a change in its constitution. 
In addition to the noblemen who attended in their own right, as 
the immediate servants of the crown, he ordered each county to 
send two discreet knights. 

3. Every city and borough, or town, was also ordered to send two 
of its wisest citizens, and burgesses, as the inhabitants of a borough 
were called. This is the first mention made in history of the com- 

of the battle between the king and the nobles? 8. What is the treaty called? 9. What 
of the language in use? 

LXVI. — 1. What led to Leicester's ruin? 2. How did he attempt to maintain his 
power? What changes did he make in the constitution of the parliament? 4. Of what 



118 PRINCE EDWARD ESCAPES FROM IMPRISONMENT. 

mons being represented in parliament. Hitherto the prelates and 
barons only are mentioned as the members. 




PKINCE EDWARD SAVING HIS FATHER. 

4. At first the nobles and representatives of the counties and 
towns assembled in one house ; but afterwards they divided them- 
selves into two ; and hence arose the House of Lords and the 
House of Commons ; the one composed of noblemen who attend in 
right of bii'th, or creation by the king, and the other of gentlemen 
who are chosen by the people. 

5. This i^arliament met the 20th of January, 1265. The most 
powerful of the nobles, seeing the use which Leicester intended 
to make of this new engine, withdrew themselves from London. 
Amongst others, the Earl of Gloucester, whose power and influence 
had greatly contributed to the original success of the barons, re- 
tired to his castle, and put it in a state of defence. 

6. He then formed a plan to get Prince Edward out of Leicester's 
hands, which he contrived to communicate to the prince, and sent 
him a horse of extraordinary swiftness. The prince, according to 
Gloucester's plan, pretended to be very ill, and, in a few days, ap- 
pearing a little better, he obtained Leicester's permission to ride 
abroad for the benefit of his health. 

7. Proceeding slowly, as if weak and ill, he, after some little time 
persuaded the gentlemen who were his guards to ride races with one 
another. When he thought that their horses were sufficiently tired 



does the parliament consist? 5. How did the nobles defeat Leicester's project? 6, 



PRINCE EDWARD GOES ON A CRUSADE. 119 

with this exercise, he raised himself erect in his saddle, and telling 
his guards " he had long enough enjoyed the pleasure of their com- 
pany, and that he now bade them adieu," he put spurs to his hoi-se, 
and was soon beyond the reach of pursuit. 

8. As soon as his escape was known, the loyal barons flocked to 
him, and he was thus at the head of a numerous army. Leicester 
obliged the old king to issue a proclamation, declaring the prince a 
traitor. He also sent for his eldest son, Simon, from London, who 
accordingly set out to join him with a great reinforcement. 

9. But Prince Edward met and defeated him at Keuilworth; and 
before Leicester could hear of his son's overthrow, Edward's armj^ 
appeared in sight, bearing in front the banners taken from young 
Simon. This led the earl at first to suppose that the reinforcement 
he was expecting had arrived. 

10. But when the prince advanced near enough for him to find 
out his mistake, he exclaimed, " Now God have mercy on our souls, 
for our bodies are Prince Edward's!" The battle soon began, and 
poor King Henry was placed by Leicester in the front of his army. 
He received a wound, and was near being killed, but crying out, 
" I am Henry of Winchester, your king, don't kill me," he was led 
to his son, who put him in a place of safety. 

11. The victory of the prince was complete. Leicester was 
killed, and the confederacy of the barons was broken up. This 
important battle was fought at Evesham, May 4th, 1265. One 
powerful baron, named Adam Gordon, still held out against the 
king, and the prince was obliged to lead an army against him. 

12. He found the rebels in a fortified camp, which he at once 
attacked. In the ardor of the battle, Edward leaped over the 
trench, and encountered Gordon in single combat; after a sharp 
contest, the latter fell from his horse, but the prince generously 
gave him his life, and was ever after faithfully served by him. 



CHAPTER LXVII. 

Prince Edward goes on a Ch-usade. — Death of Henry III. — About 
Paintings, and Illuminated Alanuscripis. 

1. As there was no more fighting to be don-e at home, Prince 
EdAvard, who could not bear to be idle, set out on a crusade against 
the Infidels. He embarked at Portsmouth, May 4th, 1270, meaning 
to join St. Louis at Tunis. On his arrival there, he found that Louis 
had died of the plague. 

2. Not discouraged by this event, Edward resolved still to pursue 
the enterprise with his own little army. Proceeding to the Holy 

How did Eriward effect his escape? 8. What did the king do? 10, 11. WJiat of the Imttle 
of Evesham? When aud between whom was it fouglit? 12. What anecdote of Prince 
Edward's gallantry? 

LXVII.— 1. When did Edward leave England to fight the Infidels ? 2. What was his 



120 



DEATH OF HENRY III. 



Land, he distinguished himself by many acts of valor ; and struck 
such terror into the Saracens that they employed an assassin to 
murder him. 




PRINCE EDWARD AND THE ASSASSIN. 

3. Tliis man, under pretence of having a secret message, was ad- 
mitted into the prince's chamber, and then attempted to kUl him with 




ELEANOR SUCKING OUT THE POISON. 

a poisoned dagger. Edward wrenched the weapon from the man's 
hand, but in the scuffle he received a wound in the arm. This might 



success? 3. Relate the incidents of the attack on his life. 4. What was the state of 



ARCHITECTURE OF THE AGE OF HENRY III. 1272. 121 

have jjroved fatal, had uot his aft'ectioiuite wife, Eleanor, who had 
accompanied him to Palestine, sucked the poison from the wound. 

4. Whilst the prince was thus perilling his life in foreign lands, 
affairs were going on very badly at home. King Henry had become 
o]d and feeble ; his government, never much respected, was now 
totally despised, and riots, robberies, and excesses of all kinds were 
perpetually committed. 

5. At last the king, worn out by infirmities, died on the 16th of 
November, 1272, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and the fifty- 
seventh of his reign, the longest reign in the English annals, except 
that of George III., and one of the most inglorious. 

6. Although Henry was so deficient in the abilities necessary for 
a ruler, he was not altogether wanting in sense. He was a pro- 
moter of the fine arts, and the art of painting improved greatly 
during his reign. It became the fashion to adorn the walls of 
rooms and churches with historical pictures. 

7. Antiquaries are very much puzzled to know wdiat colors were 
used in these large paintings. There is reason to believe they were 
not merely water colors, and yet it is commonly supposed that the 
art of painting in oils is of much later discovery. 

8. The only pictures which we can rely upon, of this age, are 
those we find in Mmak, or Roman Catholic Prayer Books. These 
are often ornamented, or, as it is called, illuminated, with paintings, 
beautiful from the brightness of the gold and colors, and curious 
from the exceeding delicacy of the execution. Many of these 
books are still in excellent preservation. 



CHAPTER LXVIII. 

Architecture of the Age of Henry III. — Trade and the Iferchants of 
England at the same Period. 

1. A CHANGE was also made in the style of architecture, and 
some of the finest Gothic buildings of England were built in the 
reign of Henry 111. The heavy Saxon was now succeeded by one 
of much greater elegance, and richness of ornament. The pillars, 
instead of heavy thick shafts, had one small shaft in the centre, 
surrounded by many slender ones, so as to form altogether one 
bulky pillar composed of many parts. 

2. The carved work of all kinds was more elaborate, and the out- 
sides of the churches were adorned with pinnacles, and with loftier 
steeples than formerlj'. Such verj' curious and complicated build- 
ings could not be executed by common workmen. A number of 
the best artificers, therefore, incorporated themselves into com- 
panies, and went about from place to place, as they were required. 

England during; his absence? 5. Wlien did Henry die? What was his age? How long 
did he reign? 6. What is said of the avtof painting? 7. What of the colors? 8. What 
is sail of the Missals? 

LXA'III. — 1. What ch;inge had taken place in the archifoctnre? 3. What were the 

11 



122 STATE OF LEARNING. 1272. 

3. They lived in teniporaiy liuts, near the great buildings they 
were employed upon, and called themaelves free masons ; and this 
is the origin of the society oi/ree masons, which has been so greatly 
extended. 

4. Although so much had been done to secure the liberties of the 
nobles, little change had taken place in the condition of the common 
people. Slaves were bought and sold at the fairs, and a man would 
bring a less price than a horse. These fairs were markets, held at 
stated periods, for the sale of various articles of merchandise ; for 
there were no regular shops, and the merchants and traders travelled 
from place to place, attending the fairs to dispose of their goods. 

5. The foreign trade of England at this time was chiefly carried 
on by Germans. The principal commodities were wool, lead, and 
tin. These were brought to certain towns in different parts, called 
the staple towns, where the collectors of the king's customs were 
appointed to receive the duty. 

6. The goods were then sold to the German traders, who were 
called the merchants of the staple; and these people exported them 
abroad, and imi)orted gold, silver, and various goods in return. 
The Lombards, also, were another set of foreigners who settled in 
England. Their business was chiefly to lend money on interest. 

7. The native merchants made a serious remonstrance to Edward, 
after he became king, begging that the "merchant strangers" might 
be sent out of the kingdom ; but the answer they received from him 
was, " I am of opinion that merchant strangers are useful to the 
great men of the kingdom, and therefore I will not expel them." 
In fact, they not only imported silks, wine, spices, and other luxu- 
ries, used only by the nobles, but also lent them money. 



CHAPTER LXIX. 

Of the state of Learning in the time of Henry III. — Friar Bacon. — 
Judicial Astrology. — Trials by Combat. 

1 . Although four of the present colleges at Oxfoi-d were founded 
in the reign of Henry III., yet learning was still at a very low ebb. 
There were a great numberof students, but they learned little except 
bad Latin, and worse logic. They disputed without end and without 
meaning about the plainest truths. These frivolous contests were 
conducted with so much eagerness, that from angry words the dis- 
putants sometimes proceeded to blows. 

2. But there was one person of this age who is distinguished for 
more useful inventions than any other man who ever lived. Tliis was 
Roger Bacon, a monk of Oxford, and the most learned man of his 
time. He applied his learning to the discovery of useful knowledge. 

free masons? 4. What is said of the condition of the people? 5. How was trade carried 
on? 0. By whom was the foreign trade carried on ? In what manner ? What were the 
principal commodities? 7. What did the native merchants do to rid themselves of the 
foreigners? What was the king's answer to their application? 

LXIX.— 1. What is said of the state of learning? What was tanght? 2. What is 



FRIAR BACON. JUDICIAL ASTROLOGY. 1272. 



123 



3. He invented telescopes, reading-glasses, microscopes, and many 
other astronomical and mathematical instruments. He discovered 
gunpowder, but he considered it as an object of mere curiosity, and 
not applicable to any useful purpose. The same discovery was after- 
wards made by Swartz, a German monk, about the year 1340, and, 
as he was the first who applied it to its present uses, he has the 
credit, and perhaps deservedly, of being the original inventor. 




FRIAR BACON. 

4. Friar Bacon, as he is commonly called, also wrote several 
books ; and made a map, a thing which excited great admiration. 
This was not a map of England, as we might suppose, but of Tar- 
tary ; and was formed from the descriptions he obtained from some 
travellers, who had been there. 

5. In short, his genius soared so far above all his contemporaries, 
that he was looked upon as a magician, and thrown into prison, 
where he was kept many years. He at length returned to Oxford, 
and died there, a very old man, in 1292. 

6. At a period a little earlier than this, judicial astrology, or the 
science of the stars, was the favorite study. The astrologers pre- 
tended to foretell events by observing the heavenly bodies. There 
was hardly a prince, or even a nobleman, in Europe, who did not 
keep one in his family. 

7. The most famous of the astrologers published a kind of alma- 
nac every year, with a variety of predictions concerning the weather 



said of Roger Bacon? What were some of liis discoveries? W^ho has the credit of 
inviMiting giinpdwder? Wliy ? 5. What misfortunes did Bacon's learning bring upon 
him? When did he die? 6. What is said of judicial astrology? 7. What did the most 



124 EDWARD I. — 1272. 

asi well as the j)ub]ic events that were to take place. Their predic- 
tions were generally given in very general and artful terms. By 
departing from this prudent conduct, they brought themselves into 
temporary disrepute. 

8. For, in the beginning of 1186, all the great Christian astrologers 
agreed in declaring, that from some extraordinary positions of the 
planets, which had never happened before and would never happen 
again, there would arise on Tuesday, the ICth of September, at 
three o'clock in the morning, a most dreadful storm, which would 
sweep away great towns and cities. 

9. They further predicted that this storm would be followed by a 
destructive pestilence, bloody wars, and all the plagues that ever 
afflicted miserable mortals. This direful prophecy spread terror 
and consternation over Europe, though it was contradicted by the 
Arabian astrologers, who said there would only be a few shipwrecks, 
and a little failure in the harvest. 

10. When the awful day drew near, the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury commanded a solemn fast of three days to be observed. But, 
to the utter confusion of the poor astrologers, the 16th of September 
was uncommonly calm and pleasant, the whole season I'emarkably 
mild and healthy, " and there were no storms that year," says a 
I)leasant writer, " but what the archbishop raised in the church by 
his own turbulence." 

11. We will mention one other incident of the reign of Henry 
III., illustrative of the manners of the age — the trial by ordeal. The 
Normans, although they had hitherto retained this custom of the^ 
Saxons, had a method of their own of referring the decision of ques- 
tions to the Judgment of God. 

12. This was by the trial by combat. The parties to a- lawsuit, 
instead of battling in words, fought it out with swords, and he who 
came off best in the contest, gained his cause. Even abstract ques- 
tions of law were referred to the same decision. A champion was 
selected to maintain each side of the question, and the decision was 
given in accordance with the result of the combat. 



CHAPTER LXX. 

Edward I., surnained Long-Shanks.— Tournaments.^The little Battle 
of Chalons. 

1. We have already seen enough of Edward I. to know that he 
proved a king of a very different character from his father. In his 
person he was unusually tall, and his legs being somewhat out of 
proportion, he had the surname of Long-Shanks given to him. 



famous astrologers do each year? 8, 9, 10. Relate the incident which brought them into 
disrepute. 11. What custom was abolished in the reign of Henry III.? 12. What is 
said of trials by combat ? 

LXX. — 1. What was Edward I. surnamed? Why? Describe his personal appear- 



TOURNAMENTS.— 1272. 125 

2. He had a fine open forehead, and regular features ; his hair 
and complexion were fair in his youth, but became darker in his 
middle age. His air and carriage were very commanding ; he de- 
lighted in all martial and manly exercises, and was an excellent 
rider. 

3. He had great courage and military skill, and his understand- 
ing was of a very superior order. He was an excellent son, husband, 
and father ; and yet this man, with all his fine qualities, was the 
occasion of infinite misery to many thousands of people. The desire 
of possessing himself of the whole island of Great Britain had so 
beset his mind, that every other consideration gave way to it. 

4. Edward did not remain long in the Holy Land after the attempt 
on his life which we have mentioned. He had reached Sicily, on 
his way home, when he heard the news of his father's death. He 
set out at once for England. As he passed through Burgundy, he 
received an invitation from the duke of that country to a tourna- 
ment which he was then preparing. 

5. Edward possessed too much of the spirit of a knight to decline 
any opportunity of gaining honor, and he was glad to display his 
skill in these martial exercises to the foreign nobles. 

G. A tournament was a great entertainment given by some king, 
or rich prince, at which a mock combat was held, for the knights to 
display their skill in the use of arms. When a prince had resolved 
to hold a tournament, he sent a messenger, called a herald, to the 
neighboring courts and countries to publish his design, and to invite 
all brave and loyal knights to honor the intended solemnity with 
their presence. 

7. Tills invitation was accepted with the greatest joy, and a vast 
number of ladies and gentlemen commonly assembled. All tlie 
knights who proposed to enter the lists, that is, to take part in the 
exercises, hung up their shields, each of which, as we before stated, 
bore the particular device of the knightly owner, on the walls of a 
neighboring monastery, where they were viewed by all. 

8. If a lady touched one of the shields, it was considered as an 
accusation against its owner, who was immediately brought l)efore 
the judges of the tournament — who were generally some old knights 
whose fighting days were past — tried with great solemnity, and ii' 
found guilty of defaming a lady, or of having done anything unbe- 
coming a true and courteous knight, he was degraded and expelled 
the assembly with every mark of infamy. 

9. The lists, as the space enclosed for the combat was called, were 
surrounded with lofty towers, and scaffolds of wood, in which the 
kings and queens, princes and princesses, lords, ladies, and knights, 
with tho judges, marshals, heralds, and minstrels, were seated in 
their proper places, all arrayed in their richest dresses. 

10. The combatants, nobly mounted and completely armed, were 
conducted into the lists by the respective ladies in whose honor they 

anco. 3. What of his character? 4. Where did he liear of his father's death? 5. What 
delayed liiui on his way home? 6. Wliat was a tournament? IIow was the intention 
to hold one announced? 7. What did the knights do who proposed to take part? 8. 
\\hat followed if a lady touched the shield of any knight? 9. What were the lists? 10. 

11 « 



126 Edward's arrival in England. — 1274. 

were to fight, with bands of music, and amidst the shouts of the 
numerous spectators. In these exercises, re23resentations were given 
of all the difl'erent feats of actual war, from a single combat to a 
general action, with all the difierent kinds of arms, as spears, 
swords, battle-axes, and daggers. 

11. At the conclusion of every day's entertainment, the judges 
declared the victors, and the prizes were presented to the happy 
knights by the noblest or most beautiful lady present. The victors 
were then conducted in triumph to the palace; their armor was 
taken otf by the ladies of the court ; they were dressed in the richest 
robes, seated at the table of the sovereign, and treated with every 
possible mark of distinction. 

12. These tournaments were considered merely as friendly trials 
of skill. But the lives of many brave champions were lost in them. 
Sometimes the passions of the combatants became excited, and the 
mock combat gave occasion to one of a more serious character. 

13. This was the case at the very tournament of Chalons, to 
which Edward had just accepted an invitation. He and his com- 
panions were so successful, that the French knights, provoked at 
their sui:)eriority, made a serious attack upon them, which was re- 
pulsed, and so much blood was idly shed in the quarrel, that it has 
received the name of the little Battle of Chalons. 



CHAPTER LXXI. 

Edward after his return to England.— Reply of Earl Warrenne to an 
Inquiry of the King. — Conquest of Wales. — Massacre of the Welsh 
Bards. 

1. Edward did not arrive in England till May, 1274. His first 
business was to restore order in the kingdom, and to put a stoji to 
the robberies and murders which were being constantly committed 
in all parts. During the reigns of the late weak monarchs, great 
encroachments had been made upon the royal estates by the nobles. 

2. Edward therefore ai)pointed commissioners to inquire into the 
titles by which all persons held their estates. Among the first, 
Earl Warrenne was asked to produce the instrument or title by 
which he held liis. 

3. " By this," said he, drawing an old rusty sword out of the 
scabbard; and added, in a tone of detcriiiination, "William of 
Normandy did not conquer the kingdom for himself alone ; my ances- 
tor was a joint adventurer in the enterprise ; and I am resolved to 
maintain what has from that period remained without question in 



What of the combatants? 11. What happened at the cnnclnsion of each day's sports ? 
12. Were lives ever lost at the tonrnannnts? 1.3. Wliat of tlie tournament at Chalons? 
LXXI.— 1. When did Edward arrive in England? What were his first acts? What 
inquiry did ho set on foot? 3. Wliat was Earl Warrenne's reply to the inquiry? 4. 



CONQUEST OF WALES. 1282. 



127 



my family." This answer made Edward sensible of the danger he 
was incurring, and he put an end to the inquiry. 

4. Edward appears to have always had a great dislike to the 
Jews, and this was very much increased by his expedition to the 
Holy Land. One of his first acts after his return was to confiscate 
all the property, and to banish from the kingdom all the j^eople of 
that nation. iSince that time there have been very few Jews in 
England, and the business of lending money, which had hitherto 
been confined to them, was now taken up by the Lombards, and 
other foreigners. 

5. Edward could not long remain without some employment. 
So he resolved to chastise the Welsh, because they had taken part 
with the rebels in his father's reign, and because their prince had 
refused to do homage to himself as his sovereign. 

6. Advancing into their country with an army, he completely 
defeated them in a battle fought December llth, 1282. Their 
prince, named Llewellyn, was slain, and his brother David taken 
prisoner, and executed like a common traitor. 




THE DEATH OF LLEWELLYN. 



7. Edward now took undisputed possession of Wales. • Fearing 
that the Welsh Bards might, by their music and poetry, in which 
were celebrated the heroic deeds of their ancestors, revive in the 
minds of their young countrymen the idea of military valor and 
ancient glory, the conqueror barbarously ordered them all to be 
put to death. 

8. It is said by the old monkish historians, that Edward, having 
assembled the leaders of the Welsh, promised to give them a prince 



What is said of the Jews? 5. What expedition did Edward next engace in ? 6. When 
was the decisive battle fonght in Wales? 7. What of the Welsh Bards? 8. What did 
Edward promise the assembled Welsh leaders? 9. IIow did he perform his promise? 
What is the title of the king's eldest son ? 



128 



THE MAID OF NORWAY. 



-1286. 



of'unexceptionablc manners, a Welshman by birth, and one who could 
speak no other hmguajje. Captivated by this description, they poured 
forth violent acclamations of joy, and promises of obedience. 




THE FIKST PRINCE OF WALES. 

9. The king then presented to them his second son, Edward, an 
infant, who had lately been born in tlie castle of Caernarvon. Tiie 
death of his eldest son, soon after, made young Edward heir to the 
crown ; and from that time the principality of Wales has given the 
title to the eldest son of the King of England. 



CHArXER LXXII. 

The Maid of Norway. — Edward interferes in the Affairs of /Scotland. 

1. We have now shown how well Edward succeeded in part of 
his plan to unite the whole island under his own dominion. We 
shall next see how nearly Scotland also was thrown into his grasp. 

2. The kings of Scotland and England had lived for a long time 
in singular harmony, considering how apt neighbors are to quarrel. 
Alexander III. had married Edward's sister, who died, leaving one 
child, Margaret, who married the King of Norway, and died, leav- 
ing an only daughter about three years old, commonly called the 
Maid of Norwaij. 

3. Alexander himself died in 1286, and his infant grandchild be- 
came heiress of his dominions. Edward proposed to the King of 
Norway that the Prince of Wales should marry his daughter, the 
little Queen of Scotland. Such early marriages were then not un- 



LXXII. — 2. Who was thi? Maid of Norway ? 3. What iiroposal did Edward m.iko in re- 



AFFAIRS OF SCOTLAND. — 1286. 129 

common. Indeed, Alexander and his queen had been betrotlied 
when neither of them was a year old. 

4. The King of Norway and the parliament of Scotland agreed 
to the proposal ; but the death of the young queen, on her voyage 
to Scotland, put an end to the project. The demise of a girl three 
years old was never before so much lamented, nor has ever since 
produced such disastrous consequences. 

5. What might have happened had she lived we know not ; but 
her death prevented the uniou betAveen the two nations, and plunged 
Scotland into long and bloody private and public wars. No less than 
thirteen competitors for the throne appeared. Robert Bruce and 
John Baliol had the strongest claims, and they agreed to refer the 
decision to Edward. 

6. This was a very common mode of settling disputes in that age. 
Edward, whose reputation was very high among his contemporaries, 
had before been selected to decide controversies between states and 
princes. As the parties to these disputes had been distant, and his 
own interest was not concerned, his decisions had been wise and 
equitable. 

7. The temptation in the present case was too strong for him to 
resist. He came to the borders of Scotland with a powerful army, 
and insisted that his supremacy over Scotland should be acknow- 
ledged, before proceeding in the cause which had been referred to 
him. The Scots, after great hesitation, agreed to this. 

8. He then required that all the places of strength should be put 
into his hands ; and when this was done, he gave judgment in favor 
of Baliol, who was proclaimed King of Scotland. But he obtained 
only the name of king. Possessing little ability, he was treated like 
a child by Edward, who usurped all the power, and was disposed 
to ti'eat the Scots like slaves. 

9. But they were not of a temper to submit tamely to this. They 
took up arms, but were defeated at Dunbar. Edward now treated 
Scotland like a conquered province. He obliged Baliol to resign his 
crown, and also ordered all the records and monuments of antiquity 
to be destroyed, and carried to England Avith him the regalia of 
Scotland, as the crown, sceptre, and other symbols of royalty are 
called. 

10. But there was one loss which the Scots felt more sensibly 
than all. That was the stone chair at Scone, in which the kings of 
Scotland had been wont to sit when they were crowned, and to 
which a superstitious value was attached. This was carried to 
England, and is still to be seen in Westminster Abbey. 

gardtolier? 4. What prevented its execution ? 5. Who claimed the crown of Scotland? 
To whose decision were the claims referred? 6. What is said of Kd ward's decisions in 
other cases? 7. What did he reqviire before he considered the question? 8. In whose 
favor did he decide it ? How did he treat the Scots ? 9. How did the Scots bear his 
treatment? Where were thev defeated? What did Edward do after his victory at Dun- 
bar? 10. AVhat loss did the Scots feel the most? 



130 WILLIAM WALLACE. 1297. 



CHAPTER LXXIII. 

Wallace. — Singular Expedient of an English Nobleman to inform 
Robert Bruce of impending Danger. — Edward's Vow. — How it was 
fulfilled. — Death of Edivard. 

1. Afteb the battle of Dunbar, Edward apjiointed Earl War- 
renne to be governor of Scotland, and gave all the offices to Eng- 
lishmen. The Scots groaned bitterly under this degradation ; and 
in 1297, William Wallace stood forth, though only a private gen- 
tleman of small property, to rescue his fallen country. 

2. He was soon joined by several of the nobility ; and notwith- 
standing the imiiediments he met with from some of the nobles, he 
maintained the glorious struggle for eight years, but with various 
success. At one time he jiushed his victorious army into England ; 
but at another, his cause was nearly ruined at Falkirk, where 
EdAvard gained a complete victory. At last, in 1305, he was be- 
trayed into the hands of the English, who put him to death. 

3. John Baliol being dead, Robert Bruce, son of the former com- 
petitor, was generally recognized as the legal heir to the crown of 
Scotland. Although he was residing at the court of Edward, his 
heart was Avith his countrymen, and he was constantly contriving 
how he might strike the most eftective blow for their rights, as well 
as his own, and for this purpose he corresponded with some patri- 
otic nobles at home. 

4. One of these proved treacherous to the cause, and informed 
Edward of all their plans. Edward did not at once commit Bruce 
to prison, for such of the nobles as were not in his power would 
have taken the alarm, and made their escape. So he put spies 
upon him, and had all his motions strictly watched. 

5. An English noble, Bruce's intimate friend, was apprised of his 
danger; but not daring, amidst so many jealous eyes, to hold any 
conversation with him, he hit upon an expedient to give him warn- 
ing that it was full time he should make his escape. He sent him 
a pair of gilt spurs, and a jnirse of gold, which he pretended to have 
borrowed from him, and left it to the sagacity of Robert to discover 
the meaning of the present. 

G. Bruce immediately contrived the means of escape; and -as the 
ground was at that time covered with snow, he had the precaution 
to order his horse to be shod with his shoes reversed, that he might 
deceive those who should track his path over the ojien fields and 
cross roads, through which he proposed to travel. 

7. In a few days he arrived at Dumfries, where he fortunately 
found a great number of the Scottish nobility assembled, and the 
traitor, John Cummin, among them. They wei-e not a little sur- 

LXXIII. — 1. What did Edward do after the victory at Dnnbar? 2. What is said of 
William Wallace? 3. Who was Robert Bruce? Relate the particulars of his escape 
from Edward's court. 7. What did he do at Dumfries ? 9. Relate the ceremony with 



EDWARD II. — 1307. 131 

prised at Bruce's unexpected arrival, and still more so when he 
stated to them the occasion of his journey. 

8. They readily agreed at once to take up arms, with the excep- 
tion of Cummin, who did all he could to i)crsuade them to remain 
quietly in subjection to Edward. To jjunish him for his former 
treachery, and to j) re vent his doing any mischief for the future, he 
was put to death. 

9. When Edward heard of these jiroceedings, he was enraged 
beyond measure, and vowed the destruction of The Bruce. He began 
his expedition into Scotland with a singular ceremony. He assembled 
all his nobles in Westminster Abbey, and, with many solemnities, 
caused two live swans, adorned with bells of gold, to be brought in. 

10. By these swans, he took a solemn oath that he would march 
into Scotland, and never return till he had brought it into subjec- 
tion. He kept his vow, but not in the way that he intended ; for 
he did not subjugate Scotland, and he never returned. He spent 
many months in a vain pursuit of Bruce and his adherents, who 
contrived to conceal themselves among the mountains, seizing every 
opportunity of annoying the English. 

11. At last, Edward, exasperated by disappointment, sent for all 
the forces in his dominions to meet him at Carlisle. Before they 
could arrive, he was taken very ill. It was reported that he was 
dead, and, to show the falsehood of the report, he set out from Car- 
lisle, but after advancing a few miles he was compelled to stop. A 
tent was set up by the road-side, in which he expired, July 7th, 1307. 

12. Before he died, he charged his eldest son, Edward, to send 
his heart to the Holy Land, to carry his body with the army into 
Scotland, and not to bury it till he had made a complete conquest 
of that country; and never to recall Piers Gaveston, a wicked 
favorite of the son, whom the father had banished. Edward was 
seventy years old, and had reigned thirty-five years. 



CHAPTER LXXIV. 

Edward II. — Battle of Bannockbnrn. — The Effect of the Defeat upon 
the English. 

1. When Edward I. died, his son was twenty-two years of age, 
and the English had conceived such a good opinion of him, that they 
tliought they should be happy under his government ; but the first 
acts of his reign, which were in direct disobedience of his lather's 
dying injunction, blasted their hoi^es. Abandoning the invasion 
of Scotland, he disbanded his army, and, recalling Gaveston from 
banishment, he gave himself up to idle amusements. 

which Edward began his expedition to Scotland. 10. How was his vow kept? 11. Re- 
late the particulars of his death. 12. What was his charge to his son ? How old was he? 
How long did he reign? 



132 BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN. inU. 

2. Edward II. resembled liis father in the beauty of his person, 
but not in the qualities of his mind. He was weak, passionate, and 
irresolute, and addicted to the vice of excessive drinking. He was 
devotedly attached to his favorites, who were without exception ill- 
chosen and unwortliy persons. The only kingly quality he pos- 
sessed was personal courage; but this, as it was not guided by 
discretion, was of no service to himself or his country. 

3. Gaveston was loaded with honors and riches by the king, of 
whose favor he was very vain. He treated the nobles with the 
utmost insolence, and used to divert himself and his royal master by 
turning them into ridicule, and giving them nicknames. This con- 
duct gave great offence to the nobles, which was heightened by the 
king's appointing Gaveston to be guardian of the kingdom, when he 
went to France to marry Isabella, daughter of Philip the Fair. 

4. A confederacy was formed against him, at the head of which 
was the Earl of Lancaster, the king's cousin, the richest and most 
powerful baron in tlie kingdom. The king was required to send 
Gaveston out of the country, and he aifected to comply with the 
demand ; but instead of sending him home to Gascony, as the 
barons intended, he made him governor of Ireland. 

5. In about a year, Gaveston was recalled to court, where he be- 
haved as insolently as ever. The nobles, finding remonstrances to 
be vain, broke out into open rebellion. At last Gaveston was taken 
prisoner ))y the rebels and put to death. The king was thrown into 
agonies of grief by tlie death of his favorite; but he had so com- 
pletely lost the atfections of the people, that he had no means of 
avenging it, and was obliged to accept such terms of peace as the 
barons chose to offer. 

6. In the mean time, Bruce, by his courage and prudence, had 
nearly rid his country of its invaders. At last Edward resolved to 
make one vigorous effort, and to reduce Scotland by a single blow. 
He entered that country at the head of the largest army that had 
ever marched out of England, and on the 24th of June, 1314, 
arrived within three miles of Stirling, where he saw the Scottish 
army drawn up on the banks of the little river Bannock. 

7. Bruce had been able to muster only aliout thirty thousand 
men to opjjose the immense host of the King of England ; but he 
neglected nothing that could facilitate his success. He placed his 
army on a rising ground, with a river in front, and a bog on one 
side; and to make the approach still more difticult, he caused pits 
to be dug and filled with sharp stakes, and the tops covered over 
with turf and leaves. 

8. The English halted for the night, and, despising the little 
army opposed to them, spent the time in feasting and merriment; 
while the Scots were occu])ied in devotion, and in mutual exhorta- 
tions to conquer or to die. The Earl of Gloucester, who commanded 
the English cavalry, was the first to advance, and, falling into one 
of the pits, was the first to die on that disastrous day. 

LXXIV. — 1. How did Edward II. obey his father's dying commands? 2. What is 
said of liis cliaraeter? 3. What of Gavest«n? 4. What did tho nol)lo8 do? How did 
tlie king comply with their demand? 5. What became of Gaveston ? 6. What prejiaia- 



FAMINES. 131R. 133 

9. The cavalry, having lost its leader, was thrown into confusion, 
and completely routed. While the infantry were alarmed with this 
unfortunate beginning, they observed what appeared to be another 
army marching leisurely over the heights as if to surround them. 
This was, in fact, a number of the wagoners and boys, whom Bruce 
had furnished with banners, and who, at a distance, made a very 
warlike show. 

10. The stratagem succeeded completely. The English threw 
down their arms and fled witliout striking a blow, and Edward was 
himself obliged to fly, to avoid being made a prisoner. They were 
I)ursued with great slaughter for ninety miles, till they reached Ber- 
wick. Such was the battle of Bannockburn, which secured the in- 
dependence of Scotland, and which is remembered as the greatest 
overthrow which the English have sustained since the Conquest. 

11. They did not recover from the eflects of this defeat for a long 
time. They were so much dispirited and cast down, that they lost 
all courage, so that for several years no superiority of numbers 
could encourage them to keep the field against the Scots. 

12. A little humiliation, probably, did them no harm, for Frois- 
sart, the French chronicler, tells us, " that the English were so 
proud and haughty, that they could not behave to the peojile of 
other nations with civility." 



CHAPTER LXXV. 

Famines, and the causes of their frequency at this period. — Agriculture. 
—Customs in the Fourteenth Century. 

1. To add to the distresses which England suffered from the con- 
duct of the barons, there occurred, in 1316, a most grievous famine. 
Provisions became so scarce that the nobles, whose magnificence 
was principally shown in the number of their retainers, were obliged 
to discard many of them. 

2. These people, having been accustomed to lead idle lives in the 
castles of their lords, commonly turned robbers to obtain the means 
of living ; and this they did in such great numbers, that the country 
was overrun by them. 

3. Famines were of more frequent occurrence in those days than 
at present, because agriculture was conducted in a very unskilful 
manner, being left entirely to the lowest classes, and considered be- 
neath the attention of a gentleman. It was one of the grounds of 
complaint against Edward II., that he was fonder of agriculture 
than of war. 

4. That sagacious monarch, Edward I., did not think it beneath 

tion diii Edward make against Scotland? 7. 8, 9, 10, Relnte the particulars of the battle 
of Bannockbiiru. 11. What was its effect on the English character? 12. What does 
Froissart say of the English? 

LXXV. — 1. What distressing event occurred in lol6? 2. What was one consequence? 
3. What of famines in tliose times? 4. What of husbandry? 6. Wliat of horticul- 

12 



134 HUGH SPENSER. — 1322. 

his consideration, for in a book of laws made in his time, there are 
very particular directions when and how to till the ground. As the 
peojile had no means t)f fattening cattle in the winter, salted meat 
was used during the whole time that they could not feed them in 
the pastures on grass. 

5. Horticulture was not entirely neglected. The houses of the 
nobility had commonly some sort of garden, or " pleasance," attached 
to them ; and all the monasteries had orchards and gardens, includ- 
ing a " herberie," or physic garden, the chief medicines of the times 
being prepared from herbs. The list of culinary vegetables at this 
time was very small, there being few besides carrots, parsnips, and 
cabbages in general use. 

6. Notwithstanding the bad husbandry, the nobles and rich peo- 
ple contrived to live very sumptuously. Edward II. issued a proc- 
lamation, forbidding his subjects to have more than two courses at 
dinner. It is to be hoped that the king set the example by making 
a refi)rm at court. At a marriage feast of Henry the Third's 
brother, there were thirty thousand dishes. 

7. It was the custom for kings to be attended at the table by their 
pliysicians, to tell them what to eat — a necessary precaution, since 
their banquets were so profuse. There were but two regular meals 
in the day, dinner and supper. The time of dinner, even at court, 
was at nine in the morning, and the time of supj^er at five in the 
afternoon. 

8. These hours were thought to be friendly to health and long life, 
according to the following verses, which were then often repeated : 

Lever a cinq, diner a ncuf, 
Souper a cinq, coucher a neuf, 
Fait vivre daus nonante et ncuf. 

To rise at five, to dine at nine, 
To sup at five, to \wd at nine, 
IMakes a man live to ninety-nine. 



CHAPTER LXXVI. 

Edward II. receives Hugh Spenser info his Favor. — lie is dethroned 
and cnielhj murdered by Isabella and Roger Mortimer. 

1. Edward II. did not possess strength of mind enough to exist 
without some favorite. A Welsh gentleman, named Hugh Spenser, 
succeeded to Gaveston's place in the affection of the king, and in the 
envy and hatred of the nobles. Edward lavislied favors upon him 



tnre? 6. What of the style of living among the nobles? 7. What were the hours for 
meals? 

LXXVI. — 1. Who succeecied Gavoston in the king's favor? What was the conse- 



ISABELLA AND ROGER MORTIMER. 132fi. 135 

and his father, who was also named Hugh Spenser, as he had upon 
Gaveston, and the like consequences ensued. 

2. Both parties resorted to arms. At last, in March, 1322, the 
Earl of Lancaster was taken jirisoner. After a short trial, he was 
condemned to death, and, on the 22d of March, this once powerful 
nobleman, placed on a miseral)le horse, and clothed in a shabby dress, 
was led out of Pontcfract, which had been his own chief place of resi- 
dence, and taken to a hill near the town, where he was beheaded. 

.3. The question of doing homage for the territories held by the 
King of England in France had always, as will be recollected, been 
a source of contention between the two countries. A dispute now 
arose as to Edward's doing homage for Guienne, which had been 
restored to the English crown. 

4. In 1325 Isabella was sent over to France to accommodate 
matters between her husband and her brother. She found at Paris 
a large number of nobles who liad been obliged to leave England 
in the late rebellions. The hatred wliich she herself felt for the 
Spensers led to a secret friendshi]) and intercourse with the exiles. 

5. One of these, named Roger Mortimer, a man of infamous cha- 
racter, gained such an influence over her, that, yielding entirely to 
his counsels, she refused to return to England, and set herself up in 
rebellion against her husband. By artifice she obtained possession 
of the person of her son, the Prince of Wales, and then determined 
to make a hostile invasion of England. 

6. As her brother disapproved her conduct, he would yield her no 
assistance. She applied, therefore, to the Earl of Hainault, and, by 
promising her son in marriage to his daughter Philij^pa, procured from 
him a small fleet and some troops, with which she landed in England, 
September 24th, 1326. The Spensers were so universally detested, 
that many nobles joined the queen, merely out of hatred to them. 

7. The king, abandoned by everybody, fled into Wales, and 
sought to conceal himself; but he was soon discovered, and con- 
fined at Kenilworth Castle. The Spensers, being also taken prison- 
ers, were put to death without any form of trial. 

8. In the mean time, Edward, Prince of Wales, a boy fourteen 
years old, had been placed by his mother and Mortimer at the head 
of tlie rebel army, and declared regent. But as he possessed no 
authority, the kingdom was in a deplorable state. The mobs of 
London and other cities committed robberies and murders with 
impunity, and were called by the name of the Riflers. 

S'. The queen and Mortimer, having the king in their power, de- 
clared him incapable of governing, and proclaimed the prince king 
in his stead. But the latter refused to be king in his father's life- 
time, without his consent. The parliament, who were completely 
subservient to the queen and her favorite, sent a deputation to in- 
form Edward of his deposition. 

quence? "2. What was the fate of Lancaster? 3. What was a siihjcct of disimte with 
France? 4. What did Isaliella do? 5. Wliat of Roger Mortimer? 6. What of tlio 
queen's attempt to get assistance? 7. Wliat became of the queen? What of the Spen- 
sers? 8. What were the Riflers? 9,10.11.12,13. Relate the particulars of the king's 
treatment. When was he murdered? How old was he? 



136 EDWARD III. — 1;'.27. 

10. As soon as the miserable sovereign saw the deputies, he 
fainted; and wlien he recovered and was told their errand, he said 
to them that he was in their power, and must submit to their will. 
Judge Trussel, one of the party, then, in the name of the people of 
England, renounced all fealty to Edward of Caernarvon, as lie was 
styled from the place of his birth ; and Sir Thomas Blount, high 
steward, broke his staff, and declared all the king's officers dis- 
charged from his service. 

11. Thus ended the reign of Edward II., a period of nearly 
twenty years of public disgrace and private calamity. But his own 
misei'ies did not end with it. He was conunitted to the custody of 
some wretches, who did all they could to kill him by ill usage. 
They hurried him about from castle to castle, in the middle of the 
night, and but half clothed. 

12. One day, for sport, they ordered him to be shaved in the open 
fields, Avith water out of a dirty ditch, and refused to let him have any 
other. The uiiluip])y monarch shed tears at this treatment, and, 
while the tears were trickling down his cheeks, said, with a smile 
of grief, "Here is clean warm water, Avhether you will or no." 

13. But this method of killing him i^roved very slow, and com- 
passion for the king's sufferings was working a change in the feel- 
ings of the people. Mortimer, therefore, gave directions that he 
should be murdered. These were executed with circumstances of 
the greatest cruelty, on the 21st of September, 1327, Edward being 
then in the forty-third year of his age. 

FAMILY OF EDWARD II. 
AVIFE. 
Isabella, daughter of Philip the Fair, King of France. 

SONS. 
Edward, Prince of Wales, who succeeded to the throne. 
John, Earl of Cornwall. 

DAUGHTERS. 

Jane, married to Dnvid Bruce, King of Scotland. 
Eleanor, married to Reginald, Count of Gueldres. 



CHAPTER LXXVII. 

Edward III. — War with Scotland. — Of the Scottish Troops. — Narrow 
Escape of Edward. — Peace ivith Scotland. 

1. We have now to tell the story of a king who is esteemed one 
of the greatest of English sovereigns, thougli he has been more gen- 
erally admired for his bravery and military skill than for his many 
other better qualities. Edward III. was tall and majestic in his per- 
son, and his countenance bore a very noble expression. 

LXXVII. — 1. What is said of tiie person of Kihvard III.? 2. What of his abilities? 



WAU WITH SCOTLAND. — j;;3o. 137 

2. His address was pleasing, and lie excelled in all the manly 
and warlike exercises. He was also well versed in the learning of 
his time, and had an excellent nnderstanding ; but, unfortunately 
for his country, all the powers of his mind were early engrossed by 
one ruinous desire, that of making conquests. 

3. He had, at the very beginning of his reign, an opi:)ortunity of 
displaying his abilities. As he was only fifteen years old at the 
time of his father's deposition, the government had been intrusted 
to a regency consisting of twelve persons. But he was allowed to 
appear at the head of the army destined to act against the Scots, 
who thought the present a favorable time to retaliate on the Eng- 
lish for all the sufferings they had brought on Scotland. 

4. The English army was so much superior in numbers to tlie 
Scottish, that in a battle in the open field the former would probably 
have been successful. But the great difficulty was to obtain this 
advantage. The larger jxirt of the Scottish troops were light-armed, 
and all their baggage consisted of a bag of oatmeal, which each sol- 
dier carried, to be used in case of necessity ; together with a thin 
plate of iron, on which he instantly baked the meal into cake in 
the open field. 

5. But his chief subsistence was the cattle which he seized, and 
his cooking was as expeditious as all his other operations. After 
flaying the animal, he placed the skin, loose, and hanging in the 
form of a bag, upon some stakes ; he jioured water into it, kindled 
a fire below, and thus made it serve the purpose of a pot. 

6. These troops, being mounted on small horses, passed rapidly 
from one place to another even quite distant. The smoke and 
flame of burning villages would direct the English to the place of 
their encampment, but before they could arrive there, the Scots were 
already far away. At one time Edward lost the track of them 
altogether, and although he offered a large reward to any one who 
should bring him an account of their movements, it was several 
days before he received the wished-for intelligence. 

7. Upon one occasion he ran a very narrow risk of being taken 
himself. Douglas, one of the bravest and most patriotic of the Scot- 
tish nobles, having obtained the password, and surveyed exactly the 
situation of the English camp, entered it secretly in the night-time, 
with a body of two hundred determined soldiers. 

8. He advanced directly to tlie royal tent, but some of Edward's 
attendants, waking at this critical moment, gave the alarm. His 
chaplain and chamberlain sacrificed their lives for his safety, and 
the darkness favored his attempt to escape. 

9. Robert Bruce, finding that he had to contend with a far more 
formidable antagonist than the late king, readily accepted proposals 
for peace which were made by the regency. AH claim to homage 
was renounced on behalf of the English king, and Robert was ac- 
knowledged as independent sovereign of Scotland. To cement the 

3. Wliiit was his age wlu^n he came to the throne? To whom was the government in- 
trustej ? 4, 5. AVhat is said of the Scottish troops? 6. Wliat of Edward's attempts to 
bring them to battle? 7, 8. Relate the attempt to take Edward. 9. What were the 
terms of peace ? 

12® 



138 MORTIMER PUT TO DEATH. 133(1. 

union, it was agreed tliat David, the heir to the Scottish throne, 
should marry Jane, the sister of Edward. 



CHAPTER LXXVIII. 

Edward III., having put Mortimer to Death, governs the Kingdom 
with great Prudence. — He makes War on Scotland. — -Claims the 
Crown of France. 

1. In pursuance of the agreement with the Earl of Ilainault, Ed- 
ward was married, in 1328, to his daughter, Philippa. She proved 
to be a queen of the highest and most irreproachable character, and 
no less distinguished for her sense and intrepidity, when the occasion 
called these qualities forth, tluui for her benevolence and gentleness. 

2. Although there was nominally a regency, yet the sovereign 
power was in fact usurped by Mortimer, who adopted such measures 
as he pleased without consulting anybody. His wickedness and 
rapacity "made him more deservedly odious than either Gaveston or 
the Spensers had been. Although the greatest care was taken to 
conceal them from him, the abuses wliich were practised could not 
escape the observation of so sagacious a jirince as Edward. 

3. When he reached his eighteenth year, feeling himself capable 
of governing, he determined to make an eft"ort to throw off the yoke 
of the insolent favorite of his mother. But he was so surrounded 
by the spies of Mortimer, that he was obliged to use as much secrecy 
and precaution as if he were plotting treason. 

4. He engaged the assistance of many of the nobles, and then de- 
termined to seize upon the queen and Slortimer, who were residing 
at Nottingham Castle. This castle was kept closely guarded, and 
though the king was allowed to enter it, yet it was with very few 
attendants. The gates were locked every evening, and the keys 
carried to the queen. 

5. But Edward contrived to find an entrance for his friends, 
through a subterranean passage. In sj:)ite of the entreaties of the 
queen, who called upon her son " to have pity on the gentle Mor- 
timer," he was seized and carried away jnisoner to Westminster. 
He was soon afterwards hanged at Tyburn ; and Eleanor, being 
deprived of her ill-gotten riches, was confined, during the rest of 
her life, to her own house at Eising. 

6. Edward now j^roceeded, with great industry and judgment, in 
settling the afi'airs of his kingdom ; but unhappily his love of war 
soon called him off from the arts of peace. In 1331 he renewed the 
war with Scotland, and in less than a year, drove David, an infant 
only seven years old, from the throne which his father had so 
hardly won. 

LXXVIII— 1. Whom did Edward III. marry? When? 2. What is said of Morti- 
nipr? 3. Wliat of the feelings of the king? 4, 5. Relate the fate of Mortimer and the 
(jiieen. 6. What did Edward proceed to do? Wln'ii wa-s the war with Scotland re- 



EDWARD III. CLAIMS THE CROWN OF FRANCE. 139 

7. David took refuge in France, and a son of John Baliol was 
made King of Scotland, if king he could be called, who was only a 
tool in the hands of Edward, and who was placed on the throne 
and displaced from it, as the party of the English or The Bruce 
prevailed. 

8. At last, Edward, tired of this war, in which no glory was to 
be gained, determined to abandon it, and to apply all his strength 
to enforce a claim which he asserted to the crown of France. 
In order that the reader may understand the nature of this claim, 
which was the occasion of long and bloody wars between the two 
countries, we must now deviate a little from the direct paths of 
history. 

9. There is an old law in France, called the Salic Law, one of 
the provisions of which excludes females from inheriting the crown. 
For a long series of years no occasion had occurred for a]iplying the 
rule, so that its very existence came to be questioned. But Louis, 
oldest brother of Eleanor, having died and left only one daughter, 
the matter was brought before the parliament of Paris. The Salic 
Law was declared to be in force, and a brother of the late king 
succeeded to the crown. 

10. Upon his death without male heirs, the third brother mounted 
the throne. As he died without leaving sons, the crown passed to 
Philip of Valois, an uncle's son, as being the next male heir. But 
Edward affirmed himself to be the next male heir, being nephew to 
the late king, and contended that even if his mother could not be 
queen, still he might be king, as inheriting through her. 

11. But the whole claim had no foundation in law or justice, 
since if the Salic Law were not in force, then the daughter of Louis 
was entitled to the crown ; and if his other petition was true, then 
the son of that daughter was the right heir. 

12. Edward did not at once insist on his i^retensions, as he did 
not feel strong enough to contend with Philip, who was a i)rince 
distinguished for valor and prudence. He even went so far as to 
do homage to Philip for Guienne, which was a direct acknowledg- 
ment of his title to the crown of France — a title which the French 
themselves considered as indisputable. 

newed? 7. What was the result of this war? 8. What new claims did Edwanl put 
forth? 9,1(1. State the pretence for these claims. 11. What is said of their justice ? 12. 
By what act did Edward himself recognize the title of Philip? 



140 EDWAKD 111. DEFEATS THE FKENUH FLEET. 1340. 



(UT AFTER LXXIX. 

Edward III. tnakcs War upon Philip, King of France, who is in- 
formed by his Fool of the Destruction of his Fleet. — Edward, the 
Black Prince, makes his first appearance at the Battle of Cressy. — ■ 
Cannon used. 




KDWAHI), TlIK r.l,A('K I'KINCK. 

1. At length, some otlior causes of disappointnicnt against King 
Pliilip liaving arisen, Edward conimeneed his ])rei)arations for the 
invasion of France. He was tlius occupied for two years. In 1338 
he landed at Antwerj), but found liimself opposed by so formidable 
an army of Frenchmen, that he was obliged to content himself with 
sending King Philip a deliance, and then retreated to England and 
disbanded his army. 

'1. Notwithstanding all his mighty preparations had produced no 
result but to involve him in debt to an immense amount, Edward 
did not give up the project of conquering France. In 1340 he 
sailed again, and, meeting the French Heet, completely defeated it. 

3. This defeat was so completely unexpected on the part of the 
French, that no one dared to tell Philipof it, till at last it was hinted 



LXXIX.— 1. When (lid Edward III. first invade Franco? 
Wliat was his success in his next attempt against France? 



Witli what success? 
o. 4, n. What is said 



EDWARD, THE BLACK PRINCE. — 1346. 141 

to him by his jester. It api^ears that it was customary in those 
days for kings and nobles to have amongst their attendants one 
whose business it was to play the fool, and who was privileged 
to say or do anything that was ridiculous, for the sake of diverting 
his master. 

4. The fool had an appropriate dress of many different colors ; he 
also wore a cap, made with two great ears, to resemble asses' ears, 
and he had little sheep-bells fastened to difierent parts of his dress. 
As the jester was generally a favorite with his master, he was fre- 
quently employed to conmiunicate any news which it was feared 
might excite the anger of the lord. 

5. Upon the present occasion. King Philip's jester said, in his 
hearing, "O what dastardly cowards those English are!" "How 
so?" said the king. "Because," rejoined the fool, "they did not 
jump into the sea, as our brave men have done." The king then 
demanded an explanation, and heard the whole disastrous story. 

6. But this victory did nothing to further Edward's object. He 
now found himself involved in great difficulties. He had drained 
the country of money, and was so much involved in debt that he 
could borrow no more without good security. He had even pledged 
his crown itself, and the queen's jewels. 

7. Still nothing could divert him from his unjust desire to make 
himself King of France. In 1346 he again lauded in that country 
with an army, and accompanied by his son, who has been called the 
Black Prince, it is supjiosed from the color of his armor. 

8. The King of I>ance assembled a large army to oppose the 
invaders. After much manoeuvring, in which Edward displayed 
great skill, the English army, on the 25th of August, established 
itself in a very strong position on the plain of Cressy. Philip 
made his appearance there on the same day, but as his soldiers were 
fatigued with a rapid march, he ordered them to halt for the night, 
that they might rest and refresh themselves; but they were too 
much excited to obey the orders, and continued to advance. 

9. The English forces were disposed in the best manner, and had 
ample time to refresh themselves before the French came up. 
During this interval, Edward conferred the honor of knighthood 
on the Prince of Wales, and a large band of noble youths, who 
were expected so to behave in the approaching combat as to win 
their spurs; that is, show themselves worthy the distinction they 
had received. 

10. It is said that the front of Edward's army was protected by 
some pieces of cannon, the first that had yet been made use of in 
any battle in Europe. These cannon were very clumsy machines. 
They were composed of bars of iron, held together by hoops, and 
they commonly burst at the third or fourth discharge. They were 
at first employed only to shoot ofl' darts and arrows. 

jesteis? 7. Why was tho Black Prince so called? 8,9,10. When was the battle of 
Cressy fought? What is said of cauiiou? 



142 



BATTLE OF CRESSY. — 1346. 



CHAPTER LXXX. 

Battle of Cresstj. — Death of the King of Bohemia. — Siege of Calais.- 
Story of Eustace de St. Pier-re. 




QUEEN PIIlLIl'l'A AND KINC KDWAKD. 

1. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when the French 
advanced troops came up with the English. A short but severe 
thunder-storm susi^ended the commencement of the battle for yet 
half an hour. The sun then burst out brightly, darting his rays on 
the backs of the English, but full in the eyes of the French. 

2. The battle was commenced by archers on both sides. The 
superior discijiline of the English at once became apparent. During 
the recent storm their bows had been carefully secured in the cases, 
and whilst their arrows now fell like hail, and with terrible execu- 
tion, among the French, those of the latter all fell short of their 
mark, for their bow-strings were wet and slackened. 

3. The battle soon became general. At tlie first onset, the part 
where the Black Prince was posted was furiously beset ; and the king, 
who had taken his station on the top of a windmill, whence he 
could overlook the whole field, was importuned to go to his succor, 

4. "Is my son dead, wounded, or felled to the ground?" said 
Edward. "Not so, thank God!" was the reply. "Nay, then, he ■ 
has no aid from me," said the king ; " let him bear himself like a 
man ; in this battle he must win his spurs." 

6. After fighting till the close of evening, the French army were ■ 
completely discomfited. The king fled, accompanied by only five 



LXXX. — 2. How did the battlf of Cressy commence ? In wliat was the better disci- 
pliiK) of tlie English shown? 3,4. What occnrrcd in relation to the Black Prince? 



SIEGE OF CALAIS. — 1346. 143 

knights and sixty men-at-arms, leaving dead, on that bhjody field, 
two kings, eleven high princes, eighty knights banneret, twelve 
hundred knights, and nearly forty thousand private soldiers. 

6. The most remarkable death among so many princes was that 
of John, King of Bohemia, who was blind with age, and not well 
qualified to mix in the fight. When all seemed lost, the old man 
inquired for his son Charles, who Avas nowhere to be seen, having in 
fact been compelled to fly from the field. 

7. The father, getting no intelligence of his son, said to the 
knights who attended him, "Sirs, ye are my good knights and liege- 
men ; will ye conduct me so far into the battle that I may strike 
one good stroke with my sword ?" Four of his faithful attendants 
determined to gratify this wish, which despair had dictated. 

8. Tying the king's bridle-reins to their own, they rushed into 
the middle of the fight, Avhere they soon met the death which their 
master seemed to court. The crest of the old king was three ostrich 
feathers, with the motto Ich dlen, which means, I serve. This was 
adopted by the Black Prince, in commemoration of this victory, 
and has been borne by the princes of Wales ever since. 

9. It was very desirable to Edward to possess some sea-port on 
the coast of France, through which he might be able at any time to 
introduce troops into that country ; and securing to himself a place 
of retreat, in case that should at any time be necessary. The city 
of Calais was just what he wanted, being, as may be seen on the 
map, the nearest to England of any port in France. 

10. It was likewise a very strong fortress, and easily defended, if 
the possessors had a fleet strong enough to keep open the access to 
it by sea. A more favorable opportunity could never occur to 
Edward for accomplishing his desire, since it must be a long time 
before Philip could assemble a new army. 

11. From the field of Cressy, therefore, Edward proceeded to 
Calais, which was too strongly fortified to be reduced by anything 
but famine. He stationed his fleet directly opposite the harbor, and 
built huts for his troops all around the town. He then waited 
patiently the result. 

12. John de Vienne, the governor of Calais, was a gallant knight, 
and resolved not to yield, so long as life could be sustained, in the 
hope that Edward's patience would be tired out, and that he would 
abandon the siege. After this had lasted eleven months, the garri- 
son were reduced to the necessity of eating horses, cats and dogs. 
When these failed, John de Vienne found himself obliged to surrender, 

13. After much hesitation, Edward agreed that on condition that 
six of their principal citizens should come to him barefooted, with 
ropes about their necks, all ready for execution, and bring him the 
keys of the town, he wou.ld spare the lives of the rest. The people 
of Calais were greatly distressed when they heard these cruel 
terms. 

5. Wliat was the result of the hattle? What was the French loss? 6, 7, S. Relate the 
deatli of the King of Bohemia. What were liis crest and motto? By whom is tliis crest now 
borne? 9, 10. Wliat is said of Calais? 11. Wliat means <lid Edward adopt to talte it? 
12. M' ho was the sjuvernor? How long did the sicjre last? 13. Wliat terms did Edward 



144 KNIGHTS OF THE GAKTER. 1:149. 

14. Whilst they were deliberating on what was to be done, Eus- 
tace de St. Pierre, one of the richest merchants of the town, offered 
himself as the first of the six victims. His example inspired five 
others v.dth equal courage, and, after a sorrowful parting with their 
friends, they appeared before Edward, who ordered them at once to 
be executed. 

15. It was in vain that the Black Prince and the nobles inter- 
ceded for these victims : the king remained inexorable. At length 
Queen Philippa, who had just arrived from England, where she 
had, at the head of the English trooj)s, just gained a great victory 
over the Scots, and taken King David prisoner, threw herself on 
her knees before the king, and besought him, as a reward for the 
service she had done him, that he wctuld pardon them. 

16. The king yielded to her solicitations, and she had them con- 
ducted to her tent, where she entertained them honorably, and sent 
them back to the town, loaded with presents. Edward took posses- 
sion of Calais, August 4tli, 1347, and, turning out all the old inhab- 
itants, peopled it entirely with his own subjects. 



CHAPTER LXXXI. 

The Knights of the Garter. — Strange Fancy of some young Knights. — 
Origin of the Charter- House School. 

1. The successes of Edward in France were checked by the 
appearance of a terrible pestilence, which raged throughout Europe 
for six years, and was so terrible as to be called the Black Death. 
We may take advantage of this pause to susjiend our account of 
battle and bloodshed, and to say something of the manners and cus- 
toms of this age. 

2. Edward III., as we may readily conceive, from his conduct 
towards his son in the battle of Cressy, had a great deal of the chiv- 
alric si)irit. He sought to inspire his subjects with the like feeling. 
With this view, he held several pompous tournaments, and loaded 
such as excelled in these martial sports with honors and rewards. 

3. With the same view, he instituted, in the year 1349, an order 
of knights, called Knights of the Garter. There is a common story, 
but it is not supjiorted by authority, that at a court ball the Coiuit- 
ess of Salisbury dropped her garter. The king, seeing the lady's 
confusion, good-naturedly took up the garter, and bound it round 
his own leg, saying, " Honi soit qui mat ypeuse," which means, " Evil 
to him who evil thinks." 

4. It was in memorial of this event, as the story proceeds, that 

grant on its surreiuler ? 14. Who was the first to offiT liis life for his follow-citizcns? 
15, 16. What lieoaine of tlie six victims? When flid Eiluanl take jiossession of Calais? 

LXXXI. — 1. What checked Elwanl's war in France ? 2. Wliat did Edward do to en- 
courage a martial spirit? 3. W'hat is the common story of tlie origin of the Knights of 
tlie Garter? 4, Wliat other origin is assigned to it? 5. What is said of this order? 



ORIGIN OF THE CHARTER-ITOUSE SCHOOL. 1341. 145 

the order of the Garter was instituted, and the above words adopttxl 
as the motto. But a much more honorable, it' less gallant origin, is 
generally assigned to it. It is supposed to be derived from Richard 
I., who gave a leathern strap to gird around the knee, as a distinction 
to some of the brave knights who fought with him in Palestine. 

5. Edward limited the number of knights to twenty-five, of whom 
the Black Prince was the first named, and the others were the most 
distinguished of his generals. The number of the knights has never 
been increased, and none but nobles of the highest rank and greatest 
distinction have ever been admitted to it. There are orders of knight- 
hood in every kingdom, but this is esteemed the most honorable in the 
world. The knights have sometimes been called Knights of St. George. 

6. There is a peculiar dress worn l)y the knights on state occa- 
sions, but the particular badges are the garter of blue velvet worn 
on the left leg, just below the knee, and a golden medal, bearing an 
image of St. George, sitting on horseback, with the dragon under 
the horse's feet: this medal is suspended to a blue ribbon worn over 
the left shoulder, and passing under the right arm. A star of silver 
and gold, with the red cross of St. George upon it, is worn upon the 
left breast of the outside garment. 

7. The color of the garter and ribbon was originally sky blue, 
but was changed for a deep blue by Charles II., in compliment to 
an Italian lady, the Duchess of Mazarine, who visited England 
during his reign ; this kind of blue being her favorite color, and 
from whom it derived its name of Mazarine Blue. 

8. These incidents of history will enable us better to understand 
the allusions which are frequently made to "stars," "garters," and 
" blue ribbons," in English writings ; for these terms are frequently 
used to denote any honors which a nobleman may be supposed to 
aspire to, and which the sovereign can bestow. 

9. The young knights of ancient times sometimes took strange 
whims into their heads. A number of these, who accompanied Ed- 
ward in an expedition into France, put a black patch over one eye, 
each one making a vow not to take it off till he had performed some 
brave action. One of these, named Walter Maury, proved a very 
beneficent knight, as well as a very valiant one. 

10. Amongst other things, he founded a monastery called the 
Chartreuse. At the reformation of religion in England, this be- 
came private property, and was soon afterwards purchased by a 
rich merchant, named Sutton, who established a public school and 
hospital there, furnishing them with fimds for their perpetual 
maintenance. This is the origin of the Charter- House School, an 
institution which still exists, the name being a corruption of that of 
the old monks. 

6. What of tliiMr flress and badges? 7. Wlieiire thi' name of Mazaiine Blue? 9. Wliat 
ridiculous tiling did some young kuiglits do? lo. What was tlie origin of the Charter 
House School ? 

13 



146 DRESS IN THE REIGN OF EDWARD III. — 1327-1377. 



CHAPTER LXXXII. 

The Dress of fashionable Men and Women in the Beign of Ed- 
ward III. 

1. The dress of a fine gentleman of the age of Edward III. would 
strike us as rather fantastic. He wore long pointed shoes, fastened 
to his knees by gold or silver chains ; a stocking of one color on one 
leg, and one of another color on the other; short breeches which did 
not reach to the middle of his thighs ; a coat, one half white, and 
the other half blue or black; a long beard; a silk hood buttoned 
under his chin, embroidered with grotesque figures of animals. 

2. The fashionable females are thus described by an old writer : 
" The tournaments are attended by many ladies of the first rank and 
greatest beauty, dressed in party-colored tunics. Their tippets are 
very short, their caps remarkably small, and wrajjped about their 
heads with cords ; their girdles are ornamented with gold and silver, 
and they M'ear short swords, like daggers, hanging across their 
breasts." 

3. An old German writer tells us of the English, "that they are 
very fond of noises, such as the ringing of bells, and tlie beating of 
drums." Indeed, all the diversions of the English were of a very 
noisy character. When a nobleman opened liis castle to his guests, on 
occasions of public festivity, the halls and courts were crowded with 
minstrels, mimics, jugglers, and tumblers; and there was a strange 
confusion of feasting, drinking, dancing, singing, and tumbling. 

4. There were at that time no such things as theatres or play- 
houses. The jugglers and tumblers used to travel about the country, 
and when they were not invited into private houses, they exhibited 
their tricks in carts in the open streets. The streets seem to have 
been scenes of great gayety ; for we are told that the servants of the 
citizens of London used in summer evenings to dance in the streets 
before their masters' doors. 

5. They were in no danger from the carriages, for such things 
were not in use. The usual way for ladies, as well as gentlemen, " to 
go about," was on horseback, both sexes sitting alike, astride the 
horse; side-saddles not being invented till the next reign. Queens, 
and persons of high rank, were occasionally conveyed on horse 
litters; these were like a bedstead, fastened by shafts before and 
behind to two horses; something in the manner in which hand- 
barrows are carried by men. 

6. Over the litter there was a canoj^y held, supported on four long 
})oles, each pole carried by a man on foot; so that this mode of 
travelling was not a very expeditious one. The lord-mayor and 
aldermen of London, on occasion of an annual merrymaking in the 
countiy, used to go on horseback, while their wives went in wagons. 

LXXXII.— 1. Dt'scribo tlif dress of a gentleman of Edward lll.'s time. 2. What of 
the ladies? 3. What (it the diversions of tlie English? i. What of stage plays? 



BATTLE OF POICTIERS. — 1356. 



147 



7. The ardor for study in this reign was very great, for we are 
informed that there were 30,000 students at Oxford alone. But 
very little attention was paid to useful sciences. Of the ignorance 
in geography, we may judge from this story. In 1344, Pope Clem- 
ent VI. created Louis of Spain Prince of the Fortunate Isles, mean- 
ing the Canaries, then newly discovered. 

8. The English ambassador at Rome, and his retinue, were 
seized with an alarm that Louis had been created King of Eng- 
land, and they immediately hurried home, in order to convey this 
important intelligence. 



CHAPTER LXXXIIL 

Battle of Poidiers. — King John of France taken Prisoner. — Generous 
Conduct of the Black Prince. 



» Itoj^ 




EDWARD, THE BLACK PRINCE, WAITING UPON KING JOHN. 

1. The animosity between the French and English was so in- 
tense, that not even the dreadful pestilence could for any length of 
time prevent its breaking out into open hostilities, and in 1352 the 
war was renewed, Philip de Valois having been succeeded in 1350 
by his son John. 

2. For four years the contest went on without any very distin- 
guished action on either side, the English, however, gradually ex- 



5. Wtiat was tlie usual mode of convejance? 7, 8. What instance of the ignorance of 
geosrraphy ? 

LXXXIII. — 1. When was the war with France renewed? Who reigned in France? 
2. When was the battle of Poictiers fought? .3. What were the forces on each side? 



148 KINCx JOHN OF FRANCE TAKEN PRISONER. — 1356. 

tending their territories in France. At lengtli, on the 19th of Sep- 
tember, 1356, a battle was fought at Poictiers, which had a most 
decisive effect on tlie condition of France. 

3. On the 17tli of that month, the Blaclj: Prince, who, through 
tlie whole war, had distinguished liimself by his valor and discre- 
tion, encamped with an army of 12,000 men near the town of Poic- 
tiers. The same evening, the King of France, with an army of 
60,000 men, encamped within a mile of the prince, who, when he 
saw the French army advance thus unexpectedly upon him, ex- 
claimed, " God help us ! it only remains for us to fight bravely." 

4. The Cardinal of Perigord, who was with the French army, 
was very desirous to make peace, and rode backwards and forwards 
several times between John and the prince with that view. The 
prince said to him, "Save my honor, and the honor of my army, 
and I will readily listen to any reasonable conditions." But John 
would consent to nothing, unless the prince and a hundred of his 
knights would surrender themselves prisoners of war. 

5. The reply of the prince to this was, that "he would never be 
made a prisoner but sword in hand." The cardinal, finding his 
endeavors unavailing, retired to Poictiers, and the two armies pre- 
pared themselves for battle. We shall not give you a particular 
account of this engagement ; it will be enough to say that the Eng- 
lish gained a most complete victory. 

6. King John, deserted by the larger part of his knights, fought 
bravely for his liberty. By his side was his son Philip, scarcely four- 
teen years old, who did wonders in defence of his father. The king, 
wearied, and overwhelmed by numbers, might easily have been slain ; 
but every English gentleman was ambitious of taking alive the royal 
prisoner, and exhortations to surrender were heard on all sides. 

7. The king still cried out, " Where is my cousin, the Prince of 
Wales?" and seemed unwilling to surrender to any person of infe- 
rior rank. But, being told that the jirince was at a distance, he at 
length yielded himself to a French knight, named Morbec, who had 
been obliged to fly his country for murder. The young prince, 
Philip, who acquired the surname of the Hardy, from his conduct 
in this battle, also surrendered. 

8. The Black Prince, who was reposing in his tent after the fatigues 
of the day, felt very anxious about the fate of the French king, and 
sent the Earl of Warwick to bring him intelligence. That nobleman 
found the captive at a fortunate moment, for his life was exposed 
to more danger than it had been during the heat of the action. 

9. The prisoner had been taken by force from Morbec by the Eng- 
lish, and a contest had arisen among the prince's followers, as to whom 
the prisoner belonged to. Some brutal soldiers, rather than yield the 
prize to their rivals, had threatened to put him to death. AVarwick 
overawed all j'^irties, and, rescuing the king from their turlnilence, 
led him to the prince, who received him with every mark of respect 
and sympathy ; seeking by his conduct to soothe and comfort him. 

4. Who tried to make peace? What prevented its heing made? 5. What was the 
result of the battle? 6, 7, S. What was the fate of King .Tohn? 9, 10. How was he 



GENEROUS CONDUCT OF THE BLACK TRINCE. 



149 



! 10. Having ordered a magnificent supper to be prepared, he 
himself served at table, as if he had been one of the retinue. He 
stood behind the king's chair, declining to sit down in his presence, 
saying, " he knew too well the difference of rank between a subject 
and a sovereign prince." 

11. The king, much affected by this generous treatment, so little 
to be expected from so youthful a conqueror, burst into tears, and 
declared that though it was his fate to be a captive, he rejoiced that 
he had fallen into the hands of the most generous and valiant prince 
alive. 

12. The prince, after returning thanks to God for his victory, 
praised his troops for their conduct, and gave reAvards and dig- 
nities to those who had particularly distinguished themselves. On 
the 24th of the following April, he sailed with his royal prisoners 
to England. On their approach to London, they were met by a 
train of a thousand citizens, in their best array, who conducted 
them with great state to Westminster. 



;.^.^raii' 'ilR- 




PRINCE BDWARD AND KING JOHN 



13. The Black Prince, in a plain dress, and on a little palfrey, 
rode by the side of the King of France, who was clad in royal 
robes, and mounted on a stately war-horse. When they arrived at 
\Vestminster, King Edward met them, and embraced the captive 
king with every mark of respect and affection. He and his son 
were sumptuously lodged, and treated more like visitors than pris- 
oners, during the three years they remained in England. 



roceived and treated by the prince? 11. How was the king affected by this treatment? 
1'2. Wlien did the prince return to England? 13. What is said of the reception of him 
and his prisoners there ? 



13 



150 



RANSOM OF KING JOHN. — 1360. 



CHAPTER LXXXIV. 

Honorable Conduct of John, King of France. — Edivard the Black 
Prince, and his Wife, the Fair Maid of Kent, hold their Court at 
Bordeaux. — The Prince becomes ill, and returns to England, and 
dies. — Death of Edward III. — The English Langtiage adopted. — 
How the King erected his Buildings. 



"^'1 .' ■■l^h'-t 




JOHN OF FRANCE. 



1. Edward had now two captive monarcha in his kingdom ; but 
he soon after released David Bruce, who had remained a prisoner 
eleven years, upon payment of a large ransom. After the lapse of 
three years, and many tedious negotiations, a treaty for the release 
of John was at length concluded. His ransom was fixed at three 
millions of gold crowns. 

2. Edward accompanied John to Calais, and the two kings, with 
many expressions of affection and regard, parted on the 24th of 
October, 1360. One of the hostages who had been given for the 
payment of John's ransom having escaped, that monarch, who felt 
that by this breach of faith his own honor was impeached, returned 
to England, where he died in the year 1364. 

3. The government of the provinces conquered in France was 
given to the Black Prince, who, with his wife, called the Fair Maid 
of Kent, established his court at Bordeaux. He soon afterwards 
engaged in a war to replace Pedro on the throne of Spain, in which 
he was at the time successful. 



LXXXIV.— 1. What kings did Edward hold as prisoners? 
leased? Wliy did he return to England? When did he die? 



2. When was John re- 
3. In what new expedi- 



DI^ATH OF THE BLACK PRINCE. 1:^76. 151 

4. After his return from Spain, the Black Prince became subject 
to such continued ill health, that it was believed he had been poi- 
soned. His illness had a most unhappy effect on his temper ; from 
being the most benevolent and generous of men, he became cruel 
and morose. After some months of constant suffering, he became 
unable from weakness to mount his horse, and was obliged to give 
up the command of the army. 

5. From this time the glory of England declined ; every expe- 
dition was unsuccessful. These mortifications, and his continued 
illness, increased the irritability of his mind. He returned to 
England, as a last hope, for the recovery of his health ; but, after 
lingering some time, he died on the 8th of June, 1376, in the forty- 
seventh year of his age. 

6. His loss was felt throughout England, as a private as well as a 
public loss. The Captal de Bucke, one of his brave companions, 
was so much afflicted by his death, that he refused to take food, and 
thus soon followed his lamented master. 

7. The loss of his son broke the heart of the poor old king, who 
did not long survive him, and died at his palace, June 1st, 1377, in 
the sixty-fifth year of his age, and the fifty-first of his reign. 

8. Edward's war with France produced one important effect. 
Hitherto, the king and nobility had never forgotten their French 
extraction, and the French language had been the language in 
common use by them. But they had now acquired such an an- 
tipathy to the French, that the use of the French language was 
abolished, and it was ordered by law that none but the English 
should be employed in the courts of law, and in the public deeds. 

9. The condition of the laboring classes in this reign may be best 
understood from the manner in which Edward conducted the build- 
ing of the magnificent castle of Windsor. Instead of engaging work- 
men by contracts and wages, he ordered every county in England 
to send him a certain number of masons, carpenters, and other artif- 
icers, in proportion to the number of its inhabitants, just as if he 
had been levying an army ; and this command was promjitly obeyed. 

TABLE OF THE FAMILY OF EDWARD IIL 

WIFE. 
Philippa, daughter of the Earl of Hainault. 



Edward, the Black Prince, who died before his father. 

Lionel, Duke of Clarence, who died before his father, leaving a daughter, who 

married Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. 
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. 
Edmund, Duke of York. 
Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. 

tion did the Black Prince engage? 4, 5. What change took place in the Black Prince? 
When did he die? 6. What was a consequence of his death? 7. When did Edward 
III. die? What was liis age? How long had he reigned? 8. What change was ofiFected 
in consequence of the wars with the French? 9. What circumstance is given as a 
specimen of the condition of the people? 



152 RICHARD II. .SUCCEEDS TO THP^ THRONE. 1377. 



DAITGHTERS. 

Isabel, married to the Enrl of Bedford. 
Joan, married to the King of Castile. 
Mary, married to the Duke of Brittany. 
Margaret, married to the Earl of Pembroke. 

GRANDSONS. 

Richard, son of the Black Prince, who succeeded to the throne. 

Henry, son of John of (iaunt, afterwards king, by the name of Henry IV. 

John Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt, from whom was descended King Henry 

VII. 
Henry Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt, who was Cardinal of Winchester. 
Richard, son of Edmund of York. 



CHAPTER LXXXV. 



Richard II. succeeds to the Throne. — Character of his three Uncles.- 
Insurrection of the People under Wat Tyler and Jack Straxo. 
About the Templars and the Temple. 







WAT TYLER SLAIN. 

1. Ijimeoiately after the death of his grandfatlier, the son of 
the BLack Prhice was procUiimed kinu", by the title of Richard II. 
He was only eleven years old. No regency was expressly appointed, 
but the king's uncles, the Dukes of Lancaster, York, and Gloucester, 
governed in the king's name. 

2. John of Gaunt, tlie eldest of these, had a high s])irit and great 
ambition, and even during his father's lifetime had exercised great 



LXXXV. — 1. Who succeeded Edward III.? Who governed in his name? 2. What 
was the character of the king's uncles? 3. What measure was adopted to raise money?/ 



WAT Tyler's insurrection. — i38i. 153 

authority in the state. The Duke of York was well meaning, but 
indolent and of little ability. The Duke of Gloucester was turbu- 
lent, bold, and meddling ; but John, being the oldest, had the chief 
sway in their councils. 

3. Edward left his grandson involved in wars both with France 
and Scotland, to maintain Avhich, a tax was imposed, in 1381, upon 
every person above fifteen years of age. This tax excited great 
discontents among the people, which were raised to the highest 
pitch by the insolent conduct of the collectors. 

4. One of these having insulted the daughter of a iyler at Dept- 
ford, named Walter, the father knocked down the rutiian with his 
hammer. The mob applauded the action, and, exclaiming that it 
was full time to throw off the yoke of servitude, and to take vengeance 
on their tyrants, flew to arms. Wat Tyler, as he is called, took upon 
himself the command of the insurgents, and sent messages into all 
the neighboring counties, inviting the laboring classes to join them. 

5. The summons was joyfully obeyed, and quitting their employ- 
ments, the people hastened to Blackheath, the ajjpointed place of 
meeting, burning the houses and plundering the estates of the 
nobility as they passed. The frenzy of the people was encouraged 
by the declamations of a crazy priest, named John Ball, who went 
about preaching to them from such texts as this : 

" When Adam delved, and Eve span, 
Who was then the gentleman ?" 

6. The mob, when assembled at Blackheath, amounted to at 
least 100,000 men. Wat Tyler and another man, called, from his 
business as a thresher. Jack Straw, were appointed leaders, and 
they all set off like hounds in full cry towards London. Rushing 
into the city, they spread themselves over it, killing every gentle- 
man who came in their way, and filling every part with terror. 

7. They were particularly furious against the Lombards and 
Flemings; and those who could not pronounce the words "bread 
and cheese,^^ with a proper English accent, were judged to be for- 
eigners, and had their heads cut off on the spot. 

8. Their rage was also directed against the lawyers, and the Tem- 
ple, with all the records that were kept in it, was destroyed. This 
is the name of a building that was once the residence of the Knights 
Templars, an order of monkish knights, who took upon themselves 
the vow of never marrying, and observed other monastic rules. 

9. Instead of living in monasteries, and wearing cowls, they put 
on armor, and devoted themselves to the protection of those who 
went on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. About the year 1310 the 
order was dissolved, and Edward III. granted their house, which 
from them was called the Temple, to the students of law, by whom 
it is still inhabited. 

How was it rpcoivt'd by the people? 4. What act led immediately to the insurrection? 
Who was made the leader? 5. What is said of John Ball? 6. Where did the mob 
assemble? Who were appointed leaders? Wliat did the mob proceed to do? V. What 
is said of their treatment of foreigners? 8. What is the Temple? What is said of the 
Templars? 9. My whom is the Temple now occupied? 



154 



WAT TYLERS INSURRECTION. — 1381. 



CHAPTER LXXXVI. 

The Insurrection is quelled by the Bravery of William Walworth, and 
the Presence of Mind of Richard II. 




RICHARD II. IN THE BARGE. 

1. The king's uncles were all absent from the kingdom, and the 
insurrection was so sudden, that no preparations had been made for 
checking it. The king, with his mother and chief ofBcers and a 
small number of the nobles, took refuge in the Tower. Having re- 
covered from the first surprise, a council was held to devise meas- 
ures for the general security. 

2. Some were for resorting to force, but more peaceful counsels 
prevailed ; and it was determined that a message should be sent to 
the insurgents, to say that if they would retire to a certain place 
without the city, tlie king would meet tliem on the next day, and 
hear their grievances. Accordingly, on the 14th of June, 1381, 
Richard, with a few unarmed attendants, proceeded to the appointed 
place, where he found about sixty thousand persons assembled. 

3. The king, in a gentle manner, asked them what they wanted. 
They replied, " they wanted the freedom of themselves and chil- 
dren." The king promised their desire should be granted, and 
that, if they would return home, he would give them certificates of 
freedom. Thirty clerks were instantly set to work to write these 
certificates, which were given to all who asked for them. Imme- 



LXXXVI. — 1. Where were tlie kins and his uncles at the lireaki?ig out of the insur- 
rection? 2. What measure did tlie king adopt to quell it? 3. What was liis success? 



THE INSURRECTION QUELLED. 1381. 155 

diately the mob dispersed, every one returning contentedly to his 
home. 

4. In the mean time Wat Tyler, with Jack Straw, and the most 
desperate of the party, supposing that the proposal on the part of 
the king to meet the people was merely a stratagem to get them out 
of the city, and having no expectation that he would keep his 
engagement, instead of going to tlie ajjpoiiited place, ^jroceeded to 
the Tower. 

5. They met with little resistance here, and, having gained admit- 
tance, murdered the Archbishop of Canterbury, and many others 
whom they found there. But they were disappointed in their prin- 
cipal object, which was to get possession of the person of the king, 
whom they had invited to meet them. He went on the river in a 
barge, but such were the symjitoms of violence that he dared not 
land, and turned back. 

6. But the next day, as Richard, attended by William Walworth, 
the Mayor of London, and about sixty horsemen, was riding through 
Smithfield, he met Wat Tyler, at the head of nearly thirty thousand 
of the insurgents. Walter, ordering his companions to keep at a dis- 
tance, rode up to the king, and conducted himself towards him with 
such audacity, that Walworth, unable to endure his insolence, struck 
him to the ground with his sword. 

7. The royal party would undoubtedly have been sacrificed to the 
fury of the mob, if it had not been for the extraordinary presence of 
mind of the king. Riding up to the insurgents before tliey had time 
to recover from their momentary surprise, he cried out, " My friends, 
be not concerned for the loss of your unworthy leader ; I, your king, 
will be your leader!" 

8. Turning his horse, he rode into the open field at the head of 
the multitude, who followed him without knowing why. In the 
mean time, the cry had risen in the city, that the king had fallen 
into the hands of the rebels, and instantly some thousands of brave 
men flew to his rescue. 

9. When they appeared, the mob, seized with a panic, fell on 
their knees before the king, imploring his pardon, which he granted 
them, on condition that they dispersed and returned to their homes. 
This they all did ; and thus this insurrection, which appeared to be 
so formidable, melted away like snow in a sudden thaw. 

4, 5. What did Wat Tyler and liis associates do ? 6, 7, 8, 9. Relate the particulars of the 
death of Walter, and of the dispersion of the mob. 



156 



CHARACTER OF RICHARD II. IMSl. 



CHAPTER LXXXVII. 

Character of Rk-hctnl 11. — About Chnuccr and Robert Lnngland. 




K.JB?~~ 



CIIAUr'ER. 

1. Richard's conduct during this disturbance naturally led liis 
subjects to hope that he had inherited the courage and vigor of mind 
of the most distinguished of his ancestors. But the hope was not 
realized. As he advanced in age, he discovered a weakness and 
frivolity which made him totally unfit for the government of a king- 
dom. His person was extraordinarily beautiful. He hated business, 
and devoted himself to amusement. He was fond of show and mag- 
nificence; his household consisted of ten thousand persons; he had 
three hundred in his kitchen alone. 

2. One of the first acts, after quiet was restored, was to revoke 
all the certificates of freedom which had been given, and to compel 
all those to who)n they had been granted, to return to their state 
of servitude, and to perform all their accustomed services to their 
lords. 

3. At the age of sixteen, Richard married Anne of Bohemia, who 
was long remembered in England by the iiame of the good Queen 
Anne. The Duke of Lancaster had some claims, in right of his wife, 
to the throne of Castile, and in 1386, he sailed for Si)ain with an 
army of twenty thousand men to prosecute these. He remained there 

LXXXVn.— 1. Wliat is said of the character and person of Richard? 2. What waa 
one of his tirst acts after the restoration of quiet? 3. Whom did Richard marry? 



THE POETS CHAUCER AND LANGLAND. 13S0-1440. 157 

three years, and the dispute was finally settled by the marriage of 
his daughter with the son of the reigning King of Castile. 

4. Lancaster's eldest daughter had married the King of Portugal, 
and his once turbulent a-mbition seemed quite 'satisfied with securing 
to his posterity the crowns of two kingdoms, for after his return to 
England he led a private life. In 13'J4 he married Catherine Swyn- 
ford, who had been governess to his daughters, and who was the 
sister of Chaucer, who is sometimes called the Father of English 
Poetry, because he was the first English poet of eminence. 

5. He was born in 1368, and having a distaste for the profession 
of the law, for which he was originally intended, obtained a i^lace 
at the court of Edward III., to whom he made himself very agree- 
able, and from whom he obtained many substantial marks of favor. 
Having adopted the religious opinions of Wicklifle, about whom 
we shall presently speak, Chaucer Avas obliged to leave the king- 
dom, fo avoid the anger of the clergy. 

6. He was at length enabled to return, and the last years of his 
life were spent in ease and plenty. His chief work is the poem 
called the Canterbury Tales. Few of the modern poets have 
equalled him in the excellence of his descriptions; but from the 
great changes that have taken place in the English language since 
his time, his poetry is often so obscure, that persons unaccustomed 
to the old style of writing cannot understand it. 

7. Since w^e have begun upon poetry, we may as well mention 
Robert Langland, who lived about this time. He wrote a very 
severe satire against persons of all professions, called the " Vision 
of Piers Plowman," which is very valuable, for the insight it gives 
us into the manners of the times. 

8. It is not in rhyme, and is written in a very singular kind of 
verse, which is called alliterative, and which consists in having in the 
same line as many words as possible beginning with the same letter. 
Thus, speaking of the magnificence of a monkish dwelling, he says, 

" I found there 



A hall for a high king, a household to holden, 
With broad boards abouten, y-benched well clean ; 
AVith windows of glass wrought as a church, 
And chambers with chimneys, and chapels gay." 



CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 

Anecdote illmfrafing the Manners of the Times. 

1. The king was frequently engaged in wars Avith the Scots. 
During one of the expeditions against them, an incident occurred, 

What expedition diil the Duke of Lancaster engage in ? How did it result ? 4. What of 
the conduct of the duke after liis retnrn from Spain? 6, 6. Wliat is said of Chaucer? 7, 
8. What of Kobert Langland? 
LXXXVIII.— 2, 3. Relate the circumstances of Sir Ralph Stafford's deatli. 5. What is 

14 



158 TIMES OF KICIIAR]) II. 1:;77-1400. 

which, as it illustrates the manners of the times, we will relate. 
Having arrived with his forces at Beverley, Richard determined to 
remain there for several days. 

2. His army was too numerous to be lodged in the town, and 
part was, therefore, dispersed in the neighboring Aillages. A poor 
German knight, who was one of those who were so dispersed, was 
looking for a lodging, and trying, in very bad English, to make 
himself understood. A squire, belonging to the king's half-brother, 
Sir John Holland, began to abuse the poor German, and laughed 
at him. 

3. An archer of Sir Ealph Stafford's took up the quarrel of the 
German, and shot the squire. When Sir John Holland heard of 
the death of his follower, he made a vow that he would neither eat 
nor drink till it was avenged. Riding furiously about the lanes in 
search of the German knight, the innocent cause of the affray, he 
met Sir Ralph Stafford in a narrow passage, and struck him with 
his sword as he passed. 

4. The blow was mortal ; but Sir John rode on, without perhaps 
knowing that he had killed him. The king was very angrj- when 
he heard of Sir Ralph's death, and would certainly have hanged 
tlie murderer, had he not taken refuge in the Sanctuary of St. 
John at Beverley. 

5. In those days, every church, abbey, or consecrated place was a 
sanctuary ; and all persons who had committed crimes, or were 
otherwise in fear of their lives, might secure themselves from dan- 
ger by getting into them ; for they were deemed so sacred, that to 
force a sanctuary, that is, to take any person out by violence who 
had sought refuge there, was thought a greater crime than murder 
itself 

6. We remember a story of a nobleman who had taken sanc- 
tuary in some abbey during the reign of Richard III. The king 
was on the point of rushing in and seizing his victim, when the 
abbot presented himself in the gateway, bearing the Holy Sacra- 
ment in his hand, and Richard turned away, not daring to violate 
a sanctuary so guarded. 

7. We will now return to Sir John. The Princess of Wales, his 
mother, was so much distressed at her son's danger, that she died 
of grief He was afterwards pardoned by the king, and received 
into lavor. Sir Ralph Stafford, the victim of his lawless conduct, 
was a very accomj^lished young man, and the only son of an old 
Lord Stafford, who was then with the army. 

8. Lord Stafford, as soon as he had recovered from the first burst 
of grief at the shocking murder of his son, went to the king, and 
t jld him that as he was on his road to fight the Scots, he would not 
let his grief prevent him from serving his country in the hour of 
need; "and," added he, "during this expedition I shall not think 
of my aflliction : for I like not that the Scots be rejoiced at the 
misery of the Earl of Stafford." 

said of sanctuaries? 6. What anecdote of Riclianl III.'s respect for them? V, 8, 9. Re- 
late the remainder of the story of Sir John Holland and of Lord Sfcifford. 



RICHARD RESIGNS TO A REGENCY. — ir,S7 



159 



9. The afflicted old man accordingly accompanied the army into 
Scotland, and performed all tlie duties of a soldier and commander, 
as if he had a heart free from sorrow ; but as soon as the expedition 
was ended, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and did not 
live to return. 



CHAPTER LXXXIX. 

The King offends his Nobles, and is obliged to resign his Power to a 
Regency, but resumes his Authority. — Death of the Duke of Glou- 
cester. 




RICHAKD RESIGNING HIS CROWN. 

1. During the absence of the Duke of Lancaster, the king had 
made himself very unpopular by giving the principal offices of state 
to a set of worthless favorites, the chief of Avhom was Michael de la 
Pole, the son of a merchant of London. 

2. A party was formed against the king, at the head of which was 
the Duke of Gloucester. This became powerful enough to compel 
Richard to surrender the government of the kingdom to a council 
of regency, consisting of fourteen noblemen. Many of the favorites 
were put to death, and De la Pole, who had been made Earl of Suf- 
folk, saved his life by flying from the kingdom. 

3. Xot content with depriving his nephew of all power, Glouces- 
ter determined to destroy every friend that remained to him. Rich- 
ard, though he had assembled around him so many vicious characters, 
had still preserved his respect for Sir Samuel Burleigh, a good and 



LXXXIX. — 1. How rlid Richard give offence to bis nobles? Who was his chief favor- 
ite? 2. What was the consequence of his conduct? 3,4. What is said about Sir 



160 TRIAL BY COMBAT. 1397. 

venerable old man, who had been appointed his tutor by the Black 
Prince. 

4. Neither the afFection which that prince was known to have had 
for him, nor his own age and virtue, could preserve him from the 
malice of Gloucester, who procured his condemnation on a pretended 
charge of high treason. And though the good Queen Anne remained 
on her knees three hours before the inexorable Gloucester, begging 
lor his life, he was executed like a common traitor. 

5. Kichard submitted quietly to the tyranny of his uncle for about 
a year and a half, and then, suddenly rousing himself into action, 
asserted his own right to the sovereign power. He removed the 
(/fficers appointed by Gloucester, and filled their places with men 
of ability. He acted with such prudence and vigor that Gloucester 
and his party were thunderstruck, and relinquished their authority. 

6. Ricluird now sougiit to purchase the friendship of his uncle by 
grants of immense value, but the duke was not of a character to 
remain long in a state of quiet. The king, having information of 
his plots, determined to be beforehand with him, and caused him to 
be seized by surprise and carried to Calais. 

7. The Duke of Gloucester was accused of high treason, and a 
parliament was summoned to meet at Westminster, September 17tli, 
1397, for his trial. So many nobles came to London to attend this, 
that every lodging in London, and for ten miles around, was filled. 

8. Wlien the day of trial arrived, the Governor of Calais was sum- 
moned to bring his prisoner ; but, instead of producing him, he sent 
word that Gloucester had died in prison. The particulars of his 
death are not known, but there is every reason to believe that he 
was murdered by the orders of the king. 



CHAPTER XC. 

Trial by Combat, between tlie Dulces of Hereford and Norfolk. — Cere- 
monies used on that Occasion. 

1. SojiE of the nobles did not hesitate to charge the king with the 
nuirder of Gloucester. Tlie Duke of Norfolk one day expressed this 
opinion in the hearing of Henry Bolingbroke, a son of John of 
Gaunt, and of course the cousin of the king. Henry was highly 
indignant at this charge, and made a formal comjjlaint against the 
duke for speaking seditious words. 

2. It was decreed by the lords in jiarliament that the matter should 
lie decided by a personal combat between the accuser and the accused ; 
a common mode of deciding doubtful questions of law or of fact, as we 



Suiimcl Burleigh? 5. IFow long did Richard siiluiiit to the rule of his uncle? What 
did he do then? 6, 7, 8. Rehite the rest of the incidents of the Duke of Gloucester's 
life. 
XC. — 1. What was the ground of quarrel between the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk? 



TRIAL BY COMBAT. — 1397. 161 

have before stated. It may interest the reader to have a descrip- 
tion of the ceremonies used on the occasion. 

3. The accuser first appeared, in full armor, with his drawn sword 
in his hand, and mounted on a white charger, with housings of green 
and blue velvet, on which were embroidered swans and antelopes of 
gold. When he approached the lists, the marshal demanded, Who he 
was? To which he answered, " I am Henry of Lancaster, Duke of 
Hereford, come hither according to my duty, against Thomas Mow- 
bray, Duke of Norfolk, a false traitor to God, the king, the country, 
and me." 

4. Then, taking the oath that his quarrel was just and true, he 
dofsired to enter the lists. This being granted to him, he sheathed his 
sword, made the sign of the cross upon his forehead, seized his lance, 
which had hitherto been borne by his squire, and passing the barrier 
or entrance to the lists, alighted from his horse, and sat down in a 
chair of green velvet, placed at one end of the lists. 

5. He had scarce taken his seat, when the king came into the field, 
with great pomp, attended by the peers, and ten thousand men-at- 
arms, to preserve order among the spectators. The king being seated 
in his chair of state, a herald proclaimed that none but the marshals 
should presume to touch the lists, under pain of death. 

6. Then another herald proclaimed aloud, " Behold here Henry 
of Lancaster, Duke of Hereford, who has entered the lists to make 
good his charge against Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, on 
pain of being counted false and recreant." 

7. The Duke of Norfolk immediately appeared in arms, mounted 
upon a horse, with housings of crimson velvet, embroidered with 
lions of silver and mulberry-trees, his armorial bearings; and having 
taken his oaths, entered the field, exclaiming aloud, " God defend 
the right !" 

8. Alighting from his horse, he placed himself in a chair of crimson 
velvet, opposite to his antagonist at the other end of the lists. Then 
the marshal, having measured their lances, delivered one to the 
Duke of Hereford, and sent a knight with the other to the Duke of 
Norfolk ; he then made proclamation that they should prepare for 
the combat. 

9. They immediately mounted their horses, closed the visors of 
their helmets, and fixed their lances on their rests. The trumpets 
sounded the charge ; the Duke of Hereford rushed forward with the 
greatest violence, but before he could reach his antagonist, the king 
threw down his sceptre, which was a signal for the heralds to inter- 
pose, and to stop the combat. 

10. He ordered their lances to be taken away, and banished the 
Duke of Hereford for ten years, and the Duke of Norfolk for life. 
Nothing could have been more ill judged than this measure, which 
was attributed to the king's cowardice. In those ferocious times, per- 
sonal courage was considered the greatest virtue a monarch could 
possess, and the want of it exposed him to the contempt of his sub- 
jects, and therefore to no little danger. 

2. How was it ordered that the dispute should be settled? 3, 4,5, 6,7, 8. Give an account 
14 '* 



162 RESIGNATION AND DEATH OF RICHARD. — 1399-1400. 

11. The measure gave general dissatisfection. There was a feel- 
ing of disappointment at the loss of the show, and of indignation at 
the injustice done to the parties themselves. Henry of Lancaster was 
a great favorite with the soldiers; was possessed of immense wealth, 
and related to all the great families of the kingdom. He was a dan- 
gerous subject to ofl'end ; but still no ill consequences to the king 
might have ensued, but for some new wrongs inflicted upon him. 



CHAPTER XCI. 

Henry of Lancaster returns to England with an Army, and compels 
Richard II. to resign the Grown. — Death of Richard. 

1. In 1399, John of Gaunt died, and Eichard at once seized on all 
his great estates. His son Henry, called Bolingbroke, from the place 
of his birth, wa.s in France when he heard of this new outrage com- 
mitted against him. He resolved immediately to reclaim his rights, 
and being assisted with ships and soldiers bv the Duke of Brittany, 
he landed in England, July 4th, 1399. 

2. The king was at that time in Ireland, and his uncle, the Duke 
of York, governed England during his absence. It is probable that 
Henry, when he first landed, had no view beyond that of getting back 
his inheritance; but finding himself joined by some powerful noble- 
men, he soon began to entertain designs ujion the throne itself. 

3. The Duke of York was preparing, on the king's part, to make 
resistance; but he too, being persuaded liy Henry that he had only 
come to claim his inheritance, joined him with the forces under his 
command. 

4. Ricliard himself soon after landed at Milford Haven, and finding 
that his uncle, instead of having an army ready for his service, had 
gone over to the party of Henry, retired Avith a few friends to Con- 
way. After some negotiations, he imprudently agreed to a personal 
conference with his cousin at Flint Castle, to which Richard at once 
proceeded, with his few attendants. 

5. The next day Henry arrived, attended by his army. Richard, 
who was watching on the walls for his coming, went down to meet 
him ; the duke, after some ceremony, entered the castle in full armor, , 
only making bare his head in compliment to the fallen king. 

6. Henry, having thus secured the person of Richard, led him in 
triumph to London. On the I'oad he was subjected to many indignities 
both from the duke and from the jjeople, and on his arrival at the 
capital he was committed as a prisoner to the Tower. 

of the ceremonies usihI on the occasion. 9. How did the matter end? 10. What did tlie 
king do to the parties? 11. How was the measnre received? 

XCI.— 1. When did John of Gaunt die? What became of his estates? What did 1 
Henry do? When did he kind in England? 2. Where was the king? By wlioni was • 
Henry joined ? 4, 5. What became of Richard ? 6. How was he treated by Henry ? 1 



JOHN WICKLIFFE. 1376-1384. 163 

7. Henry now openly declared his design upon the crown, and 
compelled the king to sign a paper containing a resignation of it. 
This paper was communicated to parliament, who gave it their ap- 
proval. Henry was unanimously declared to be the successor, and was 
led to the vacant throne by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. 
^ 8. Richard was conveyed to Pontefract Castle, and there put to 
I death in the beginning of the year 1400, in the thirty-fourth year of 
his age, and the twenty-third of his reign. He is called the last 
sovereign of the line of Planta genet ; Henry and his successors being 
I styled The House of Lancaster. 

FAMILY OF RICHARD II. 
WIFE. 

Anne of Bohemia, vpho died before him. He was espoused to Isabella of 
France, at the time of his deposition. He left no children. 

TABLE OF THE KINGS OF THE LINE OF PLANTAGENET. 

Henry II., grandson of Henry I. 

Richard I., Coeur de Lion, son of Henry II. 

John Lacliland, son of Henry II. 

Henry III., son of John. 

Edward I., son of Henry III. 

Edward II., son of Edward I. 

Edward III., son of Edward II. 



Began to reign. 


Reigned. 


1154 . 


. 35 . . 


11S9 . 


. 10 . . 


1199 . 


. 17 . . 


1216 . 


. 56 . . 


1272 . 


. 35 . 


1307 . 


. 20 . . 


1.327 . 


. 50 . . 


1377 . 


22 



CHAPTER XCII. 

Account of John Wickliffe, who attempted to produce a Reformation in 

Religion. 

1. In the course of our story we have had frequent occasion to 
speak of the pride and luxury of the clergy. This Avas in part the 
consequence of the idle lives which the liberality of a superstitious 
people enabled them to lead, and in part to the corrupting doc- 
trines of the established church. 

2. John Wickliffe, born about the year 1324, was the first who 
dared to protest openly against the errors of the time. He was 
himself a priest, and had gained great distinction at the University 
of Oxford, where he was educated, by his abilities and acquire- 
ments, and more especially by his knowledge of the Scriptures. 

3. He first became publicly known in the latter part of the reign 
of Edward III., by a controversy with the begging friars, an order 
of monks, who, because our Saviour and his apostles avoided 
worldly riches and honors, pretended to imitate them by going 

7. What did lie compel the king to do? What did parliament do? 8. When and where 
did Richard die? What was his age? How long had he reigned? What line of sov- 
ereigns ended with him? What were his successors styled? 
XCII.— 2. When was John Wickliffs horn? 3,4. What did he do? 6. By whom 



164 WICKLIFFE BEFORE AN ECCLESIASTICAL COUNCIL. 

about begging; and who seemed to think that poverty and beggary 
were the essence of religion. 




J()1I^ w j( Ki in j< 



4. Wickliffe afterwards attacked the corruptions of the monks in 
general ; and, proceeding by degrees, as his knowledge of the Scrip- 
tures increased, he came at last to deny the authority of the pope, and 
the truth of many of tlie doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. 

5. As he likewise denied the validity of the claims of the clergy 
to temporal authority, his doctrines were highly acceptable to the 
nobles, and he was openly favored by Jolin of Gaunt, who, after 
the death of Edward III., was, as we have before stated, the most 
powerful man in the kingdom. 

G. The boldness and success with which Wickliffe pursued this 
work excited the alarm of the churchmen ; and he was summoned 
to appear before an ecclesiastical counsel, to answer for his con- 
duct in publishing such heretical opinions. 

7. At the day appointed he was conducted to St. Paul's Church in 
London, the place where the council met, by the Duke of Lancaster, 
and Sir Henry Percy, the Earl-Marshal of England, one of the chief 
ofhcers of the crown, and attended by an immense concourse of people. 

8. We may well suppose that these marks of respect and favor 
were not very pleasing to the clergy, and many angry words passed 
between the duke and the Bishop of London. At length the nobles 
and the clergy took their seats, whereupon the earl-marshal invited 
Wicklifie to sit down ; " for," said he, " you have much to answer, 
and need a convenient seat." 

9. The rest we will give you in the words of an old historian: 



v/as he favored ? 6. What did the clergy do ? 7, 8, 9, 10. Relate wliat occurred at the 



HENRY IV. 1400. 165 

" The Bishop of London told him that it was against all law and 
reason, that he who was cited before a conncil should sit. Hereupon, 
contumelious words arose between the marshal and the bishop. The 
duke takes the marshal's part, and sharply reprehended the bishop. 

10. "The bishop returns the like to the duke, who, in a great 
rage, said he would pull down the pride of him, and of all the bishops 
in England. The duke and the marshal standing thus stittiy for 
John Wicklifle, there was nothing done against him at that time." 

11. There were a great many proselytes to the doctrines of Wick- 
liffe. These were called Lollards, a name given them in derision, 
the word meaning noisome weed. Various attempts were made to 
root out the noisome weed of the reformed faith in religion, and 
even the fire and fagot were used to extirpate it ; but without success. 
It continued to exist until the reign of Henry VIII., when it was 
decided by that potentate to be a wholesome plant, and the Eoman 
Catholic belief itself to be the noisome weed. 

12. WicklifTe employed many of the latter years of his life in 
making a translation of the Bible into English. This had been done 
before by the Venerable Bede ; and the old Saxon bishop, Aldhelm, 
in the year 706, translated the book of Psalms into Saxon ; but when 
the pope began to rule the affairs of the English church, none but 
Latin Bibles were allowed to be used, and these were to be found 
only in the hands of the priests. 

13. The people were therefore kept from reading the Scriptures, 
so that the priests and monks might make them believe what they 
pleased. This work of Wicivlifte, therefore, while it was highly 
acceptable to the laity generally, was disapproved of by the bishops 
and all who were attached to the established rules of the church. 

14. An attempt was made to obtain an order from parliament for 
the supjiression of the English translation ; but it was unsuccessful, 
in consequence of the warm remonstrances of the Duke of Lancas- 
ter, who concluded by saying, " We will not be the dregs of all, see- 
ing that other nations have the law of God, which is the law of our 
faith, written in their own language." Wickliffe died, December 
31st, 1384. 



CHAPTER XCIII. 

Henry IV. keeps the Throne in Defiance of the Rights of Ednnmd 
Mortimer, the true Heir. — He puts down the rebellious Barons. — 
Owen Glendower. 

1. The life of Heniy IV. furnishes a striking example of the 
sudden vicissitudes to which human life is subject. Within the 
short space of three months, he had been wandering about without a 

council. 11. Whenco tlio name Lollard? 12. IIow did Wickliffe employ the last years 
of his life? 13, 14. What of the use of the Bible ? When did Wickliffe die ? 



166 



CONSPIRACIES AND REBELLIONS. — UOO-U03. 



home, an outcast from that country of which he was now the sov- 
ereign. 




OWEN GLENDOWEH. 

2. But his situation was far from being an enviable one. His life 
was made miserable by constant apprehensions of plots and con- 
spiracies, of which he was really in much danger, and the evil was 
aggravated by his own jealous and suspicious temper. 

3. Even after the abdication of Eichard, he had no legal title to 
the crown, for the undoubted heir was Edmund Mortimer, a descend- 
ant of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the elder brother of John of 
Gaunt. To secure himself from any attempts on the part of Ed- 
mund, who was only seven years old, to recover his rights, Henrv 
caused him to be confined in Windsor Castle. 

4. He had possessed the throne only three months when a very 
dangerous conspiracy was entered into against him, by some nobles 
attached to Eichard. A man named Maudlin was dressed up to 
personate him ; but a quarrel having arisen among the leaders, the 
conspiracy was soon and easily crushed. 

5. All the nobles taken in arms were beheaded ; a very different 
treatment from that which the rebellious barons received in the reign 
of King John, when they were forgiven as often as they offended. 
This difference of treatment shows the change which had taken place 
in the relative power of the king and the barons ; for John, had he 
dared to do so, would have acted precisely as Henry did. 

6. To secure himself from any more attempts of this kind, Henry 
caused Eichard to be murdered, as we have already stated; and to 



XCIII. — 2. By what was Henry's quiet disturbed ? 3. Who was the true heir to the 



BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY. 1403. 167 

prevent any one from pretending in future to personate him, made 
known the certainty of his death, by causing his body to be brought 
to London, and exposed with the lace uncovered for three days. 

7. A few montlis afterwards the king had a very narrow escape. 
One night he perceived, concealed in his bed, just as he was stepping 
into it, a steel instrument with three sharp points, which would either 
have killed him, or wounded him severely, had he laid down upon it. 

8. Besides his secret enemies, Henry "had a very formidable open 
foe in Owen Glendower, a Welsh gentleman, of great spirit and 
courage, who proclaimed himself l*rince of Wales, in right of his 
ancestors, and invited his countrymen to attempt the recovery of 
their independence. 

9. They accordingly flocked to his standard, and Glendower, 
favored by the mountainous nature of his country, maintained him- 
self for seven years against all the efforts of Henry to subdue him. 



CHAPTER XCIV. 

Several Rebellions against Henry IV. — All finally subdued. — Instance 
of the Superstition of the People, 

1. The Earl of Northumberland and his brother, the Earl of 
AVestmoreland, were two of the most powerful barons in England, 
and it was chiefly by their means that Henry had been able to 
ascend the throne. Instead of taking pains to secure their sup- 
port, he gave them just occasion of offence. 

2. The Earl of Northumberland and his son, Henry Percy, de- 
feated the Scots in a battle fought at Homildon Hill, and made 
prisoners of Earl Douglas and many others. Immediately on hear- 
ing of this victory, Henry sent orders to the earl not to admit any 
of his prisoners to ransom ; an interference with his rights which 
the Percys highly resented. 

3. By conferring together upon the subject, they became more 
and more angry; and Henry Percy, who was suniamed Hotspur, 
from his fiery temper, urged on his father and uncle till they re- 
solved to dethrone King Henry, thinking that they could do this 
with as little difficulty as they had found in dethroning Richard. 

4. Douglas was released, and engaged to assist them in their en- 
terprise, and an invitation was also sent to Glendower to join them. 
Douglas and Hotspur were first in the field, but before they could 
be joined by Glendower, King Henry was already upon them. 

5. A decisive battle was fought at Shrewsbury, July 21st, 1403. 
Henry commanded his forces in person, assisted by his son Henry. 
The greatest bravery and skill were shown on both sides, anTi the 
event of the contest was long doubtful. 

throne? 5. What circumstances show the change in the relative power of the king and 
theliarons? 7. What danger diil tlie king escape ? 8,9. What of Owen Glendower? 

XCIV. — 2. How did Ilenrj' nffi-iid tlie Earls of Northumberland and Westmorehmd? 
3,4. What did their roseutment lead them tij do? 5. Wlicn and where was the decisive 



168 SEIZURE or THE YOUNG PRINCE OF SCOTLAND. — 140G. 

6. The king had caused several of his attendants to wear armor 
resembling his own, and Douglas, who ardently desired to engage 
with him i)ersonally, sought liiiu over the field, and often thought 
he had fought with him and slain him ; but he as often found him- 
self deceived, and was at last himself taken prisoner. Hotspur was 
killed, and the I'oyal army remained masters of the field. 

7. The king, remembering the former services of Northumberland, 
and pitying tlie j^oor old man's bei'eaved condition, granted him his 
life, and soon after restored to him almost all his honors and estates. 

8. Scarcely was one rebellion quelled before another broke out, at 
the head of which were Scrope, Archbishop of York, and Thomas 
Mowbray, the Earl-Marshal of England. Northumberland had also 
once more taken up arms against the king ; but before he could join 
his forces to those of the others, their followers were already dis- 
persed, and themselves in the power of the king. 

9. This was effected by an act of the grossest perfidy and false- 
hood on the 2^iirt of the king's general, sanctioned by himself. The 
chief rebels were beheaded, even Scrope himself; which was the 
first instance in England of a bishop's being punished with death. 

10. The common people looked upon this as an act of gross im- 
])iety, and as the king was soon after aftlicted with a loathsome 
eruption in his face, they considered it as a direct punishment for 
the offence against Heaven. 

11. Northumberland, after several years of exile and wandering, 
was killed in a last attempt to overthrow the power of Henry. 
The repeated ill success of these rebellions at length subdued all 
the king's enemies. Even the Welsh, in despair of recovering their 
independence, abandoned Glendower, who wandered about in vari- 
ous disguises during the rest of his life. 



CHAPTER XCV. 

Henry seizes the young Prince of Scotland, and keeps him a Prisoner 
eighteen years. — Character of James I. of Scotland. 

1. It would be thought very strange, at the present day, if a king 
should seize upon the infant son of another king, with whom he was 
at peace, as the prince was passing on the sea from his own country 
to another, and should keep him a prisoner for a great number of 
years; yet such a procedure was in perfect accordance with the 
notions of justice held in the time of Henry IV. 

2. Robert III., King of Scotland, was a prince of a very feeble 
character, and the affairs of the nation were ruled by his brother, the 
Duke of Albany, a restless and ambitious man, who governed in a 



battle foiiglit? '6. Wliat expedient did Henry adopt to deceive the enemy ? What was 
t.lie fate of several leaders ? 8. Who were engaged in the next rebellion? 9. What was 
the result of it? What did the common people think of the punishment of Scrope? 11, 
W^liat became of the rest of the king"s enemies ? 

XCV.— 2. What is said of Robert III. of Scotland ? What of the Duke of Albany? 



ANECDOTE OF PRINCE HENRY. 1412. 169 

most arbitrary manner, and even imjirisoned and starved to death 
the elder of the king's two sons. 

3. The youngest son, James, was then ten years old, and the king, 
being anxious to save him from falling into the hands of his cruel 
uncle, resolved to send him into France, in charge of the Earl of 
Orkney. They accordingly embarked, and set sail ; but their ves- 
sel was taken by an English ship. 

4. The j^rince and his attendants were conveyed to Henry, who, 
on being told by the Earl of Orkney that the young prince was 
going to France to learn French, said, " I understand French, and 
therefore ought to be intrusted with his education." He then 
committed James and his attendants close prisoners to the Tower. 

5. The poor old father was thrown into such agonies of grief by 
the news, that he died in three days. The Duke of Albany then 
assumed the government of Scotland as regent, but would do nothing 
to procure the release of James, who, by the death of his father, 
had become king. It was not until eighteen years afterwards, at 
the death of the Duke of Albany, that James obtained his liberty, 
being then ransomed by the people of Scotland. 

6. But Henry made some amends for his unjust and cruel con- 
duct, by giving the young prince the best education the times 
afforded. He excelled in tilting, wrestling, archery, and all the ex- 
ercises then practised by young men of rank ; as well as in the more 
refined studies of oratory, law, and the philosophy of those times. 

7. He had also an extraordinary talent for music and poetry; 
indeed, some say that he was the inventor of that sweet and 
plaintive style of music which is i^eculiar to Scotland. His poetry 
is quite extraordinary, considering the time in which it was writ- 
ten, and some of his ballads continue to be popular to the present 
day. In one of his poems he describes very touchingly his manner 
of life when he was a prisoner. 

8. When restored to his kingdom, he proved the best king that 
ever sat on the Scottish throne. He made excellent laws, and re- 
formed many abuses. The name of James I. of Scotland is still 
held in reverence by his countrymen. 



CHAPTER XCVI. 

Anecdotes of Prince Henry. — Death of Henry 1 V. 

1. Henry had now some i-espite from his enemies, but he had 
none from the bitter reflections of his own mind, which was a per- 
petual prey to remorse and fear. He also suffered greatly from ill 
health. To add to his unhappiness, his son, the " Madcap Harry," 

3. Why did Robert ■wish to send his son to France? Did he reach there? 4. What was 
done with tlio prince by Henry? 5. How long did tlie prince remain a prisoner? 6. 
What amends did Henry make tor his conduct? 7. What is said of James's poetry and 
music ? 8. What of his cliaracter as king? 

XCVI. — 1. What is said of the condition of Henry ? 2, 3. Relate tlie story of Prince 

15 



170 



DEATH OF HENRY IV. — -1413. 



when not engaged in war, in which he displayed great courage and 
ability, led a most disorderly life. 

~ tl 




PRINCE HENRY STRIKING THE JUDGE. 



2. One of his companions was arrested for a highway robbery, 
and brought before the chief justice, Gascoigne, for examination; 
the evidence was strong against him, but the prince, who was pres- 
ent, required that he should be released. Gascoigne refused to 
comply with this demand ; whereupon the prince became so much 
exasperated as to forget for the moment where he was, and he 
actually struck the judge as he sat upon the bench. 

3. The judge forthwith vindicated the dignity of his office, by 
sending the prince to prison ; and he, at once acknowledging the 
impropriety of his own conduct, submitted to the punishment. 
When this incident was related to the king, he exclaimed, " Happy 
the monarch who possesses a judge so resolute in the discharge of 
his duty, and a son so willing to submit to the law !" 

4. The king's health now rapidly failed. As his strength de- 
clined, his fears of rebellions, and of being deposed, increased even 
to childish anxiety ; he could not sleep unless the crown itself was 
laid upon his pillow. He became subject to dreadful fits, which 
would cause him to fall down apparently dead. 

5. One day, when he was in one of these fits, the jjrince, who be- 
lieved him to be actually dead, took the crown from his pillow, and 
carried it away. When the king came to his senses he instantly 
missed it, and sternly asked who had dared to remove it. 

6. The prince made a dutiful apology, which pacified the king, 



Henry ami the chief justice. 4. AVhiit is said of Henry's fears? 5,6,7. Relate the 
anecdote nf the king and tiio [jrince. Wlun did Ilinry die? What was his .ige ? How 
long had he reigned ? 



PRINCE HENRY AND THE LOLLARD. 171 

who said, with a sigh, " Alas, fair son, what right have you to the 
crown, when you know your father has none?" "My liege," an- 
swered the prince, "with your sword you won it, and with the 
sword I will keep it." 

7. " Well," said the king, " do as you please ; I leave the issue to 
God, and hope he will have mercy on my soul." Not long after- 
wards, on the 20th of March, 1413, while he was at church, he was 
seized with a fit, and soon expired. This happened in the forty- 
seventh year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign. 

TABLE OF THE FAMILY OF HENRY IV. 



Mary de Bohun, daughter of an English noble. 
Jane, the daughter of the King of Navarre. 



Henry, Prince of Wales. 

Thomas, Duke of Clarence. 

John, Duke of Bedford, afterwards Regent of Franco. 

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Regent of England. 

DAUGHTERS. 

Blanche, who married the Duke of Bavaria. 
Philippa, who married the King of Denmark. 



CHAPTER XCVII. 

Slory of Prince Henry and the Lollard. — Dress of the Ladies. 

1. From the anecdotes we have already related, the reader has 
doubtless formed an opinion of the character of Prince Henry ; but 
we may mention another, illustrative of a diiferent trait. We must 
first state, however, that the Lollards were subjected to grievous inflic- 
tions in the reign of Henry IV. 

2. Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, was the chief i)ersecutor, 
and caused many of them to be put to death. One of these, named 
Badby, was sentenced to be burned at Smithfield. He was accord- 
ingly tied to a stake, and fagots were piled around him. 

3. Just as they were about to set fire to these, the prince rode up 
to him, and besought him to renounce his opinions, and save his life, 
promising to provide him with the means of living comfortably, if he 
would do so. 

4. Tlie poor man thanked the prince with many expressions of 
gratitude, but said that, as he firmly believed his opinions to be true, 
he would not sacrifice his conscience to save his life. 

5. The prince had no power to protect him from the fury of tlie 
churchmen upon any other terms. When the fagots were, therefore, 



XCVII.— 1, 2, 3, i, 5. Relate the story of Prince Henry and the Lollard. 6, 7. What is 



172 HENRY V. — 1-110. 

set oil fire, lie came again, and entreated the sufferer to recant; but 
he continued steadfast as before, and was accordingly burned to death. 

6. As a relief to this horrible story, we may now give a few details 
of a different character. The fantastic dress of the gentlemen of 
a preceding reign will be recollected ; that of the ladies now was not 
less extraordinary. Their head-dresses were the most preposterous 
structures that can be imagined. 

7. Some of them were like steeples, with long streamers hanging 
down from the top; others were so immensely broad, as well as high, 
that the head appeared like a loaded wagon. This fashion was car- 
ried to such an extreme by the Queen of France, that the door-ways 
of some of the royal palaces had to be made wider and higher, that 
she might be able to pass through them. 

8. Some ladies fastened two great projecting towers of rolled lawn 
and riband on their heads, which looked like enormous horns. The 
rest of the dress was not ungraceful. The waist was worn short, and 
the petticoat very full and flowing, and adorned with broad borders 
of fur, or with other ornaments. 

9. At one time there was a fashion of wearing immoderately large 
sleeves, ending in a pouch, which answered the purposes of a pocket ; 
but this awkward contrivance did not last long, for in most of the pic- 
tures of the fifteenth century, both ladies and gentlemen are drawn 
with bags hanging from the girdle, instead of these sleeve pouches. 

10. The dresses of the higher ranks were chiefly made of silk or 
cloth, with richly embroidered girdles. The gentlemen did not wear 
tight coats, as they do now ; but a tight waistcoat, with a loose robe 
over it. On one occasion. Prince Henry is described as having been 
dressed in a blue satin robe, full of eyelet-holes, and from each hole 
hung the needle it was worked with. The laborers and poor people 
were forbidden to wear anything but coarse flannel or fustian clothes, 
with linen girdles. 



CHAPTER XCVIII. 

Henry V. — ffis good Qualities and great Popularity. — Persecution of 
the Lollards. — Lord Cobham. 

1. As soon as Prince Henry heard that his father was dead, he went 
to his own chamber, and spent the remainder of the day in retirement 
and prayer. The next morning he sent for the companions of his 
youthful follies, and told them that he was now going to lead an 
altered life, and to enter upon new and important duties. 

2. At the same time he forbade them to appear in his presence till 
they, like himself, should have reformed their conduct. He then sent 
for the wise ministers of his father who had checked his extravagant 
conduct, and received them with marks of favor and confidence, 

said of the ladies' head-dresses? 8, 9. What of the rest of the dress? 10. What was the 
material of the dress? 
XCVIII.— 1. What did Prince Henry do when he heard of his father's death? 2. How 



INVASION OF FRANCE. — 1413. 173 

Chief Justice Gascoigne, who trembled to approach the royal presence, 
met with the praises he merited, instead of the reproaches he feared. 

3. The young king possessed in an eminent degree the qualities 
which were most calculated to make him a favorite with the people. 
Even in the midst of the wildest excesses he had given proof of a 
good and feeling heart. His person was tall and slender, his hair 
dark, and his features exceedingly beautiful. His accession to the 
throne was received with general joy. 

4. Henry, trusting in tlais his general popularity, set at liberty 
Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, who had been kept in close con- 
finement during the whole of the preceding reign. Mortimer showed 
his sense of the king's kindness by discovering to him a conspiracy 
which the nobles had entered into to place him upon the throne. 

5. He also recalled the son of Hotspur, and restored to him all the 
estates and honors of his family. In short, his conduct fully justi- 
fied the high opinion the nation had formed of him. Almost the 
only blemish upon it was his permitting the persecution of the Lol- 
lards, and here we may suppose that he was actuated by a mistaken 
zeal for what he considered the true religion. 

6. One of the most distinguished followers of the new doctrines 
was Lord Cobham. He had formerly led a very wicked life ; but 
from the time that he adopted the reformed opinions, he had lived 
a moral and religious one. The king, thinking highly of him as a 
wise and virtuous man, attempted to reason with him on what he 
himself thought the fallacy of his new opinions. 

7. Henry, after a long conversation, became so much shocked at 
Cobham's obstinacy in defence of his faith, that he turned him over 
to the bishops, who condemned him to death as a confirmed heretic. 
He contrived, however, to escape from the Tower before the day 
appointed for his execution; but engaging afterwards in a plot 
against the king, he was seized and executed. 



CHAPTER XCIX. 

Henry V. invades France. — Is involved in many Dangers, but extricates 
himself by the Victory of Agincourt. 

1. Few of the kings of England have been able to resist the temp- 
tation of making war upon France, whenever a favorable opportunity 
has offered. At this time that country was torn in pieces by furious 
factions among the nobles, and seemed to offer itself an easy prey 
to the invader. 

2. It is not surprising, therefore, that the military ardor of Henry 

did he treat his late companions? How his father's ministers? 3. What is said of his 
character and personal appearance? 4,5. What generous acts did he do? 6,7. Wliat 
blemish upon his character ? What is said of Lord Cobham ? 

XCIX. — 1. What is said of the state of France? 2. What was Henry IV.'s dying 

15* 



174 INVASION OF FRANCE. 1413. 

induced him to revive the claim to tlie crown of that country, which 
had been urged by Edward III. In making war, Henry likewise 
obeyed the dying injunctions of his fother. He also deemed that 
some emjjloyment must be found for the restless activity of the 
English, which, if not turned against foreign enemies, would cer- 
tainly break out in open rebellion against their own king. 

3. Henry accordingly assembled a large fleet and army at South- 
ampton, and, crossing over to P>ance, landed near Harfleur, which 
place he took after a vigorous resistance, whilst the French princes 
were contending among themselves as to who should command the 
army assembled to oppose him. 

4. Henry soon began to repent of his rash inroad into France. 
The fatigues of the siege, the unusual heat of the weather, and the 
indiscretion of the troops in eating too much fruit, had so wasted 
the English army, that Henry could enter upon no further enter- 
prises ; as he had sent away the ships which brought him over, he 
had no means of reaching England but by proceeding first to Calais. 

5. The whole distance lay through the enemy's country; there 
were strong towns to pass, and deep rivers to ci'oss ; and an army of 
one hundred thousand Frenchmen was in the field. The attemjjt, 
therefore, on the part of Henry, with a force now reduced to less 
than twelve thousand, appeared to be almost desperate. 

6. Nothing daunted, however, he departed from Harfleur in Octo- 
ber, 1415, proceeding by easy marches, and enforcing the strictest 
discipline. He paid the country ])eople liberally for everything he 
had of them, and they consequently brouglit him supplies of provi- 
sions, in spite of the orders they had received to the contrary. 

7. During the march the king fared no better than the common 
soldier, and encouraged his men by the cheerful and friendly manner 
in which he conversed with them. Thus they proceeded till the 
24th of October, when, upon their arrival near the town of Agincourt, 
they beheld tlie whole French army drawn up at some distance 
before them. 

8. Henry took an attentive survey of the country from a high 
hill, and saw that it was equally impossible to retreat or to advance. 
He therefore immediately set about his preiaarations for a battle ; 
for to surrender without a blow never once entered his mind. 

9. He chose his position on a small rising ground, surrounded by 
trees and brushwood. He then placed guards and lighted fires, and 
the army, with the exception of some who passed in prayer what 
they supposed would be the last night of their lives, retired to rest. 
As some of the nobles were conversing together, one of them said, 
he wished all the brave men, who were then living idly in England, 
were there to help them. 

10. The king happened to hear them, and cried out, " No ! I 
would not have one more here. If we are defeated, we are too 
many ; but if it please God to give us the victory, as I trust he will, 
the smaller our number, the greater our glory." 

advice to his son? AVliy liid he give it? 3. Wliat did Henry V. do? 4,5. In what 
difliculties was he involved? 6. What is said of his conduct on the march? 7. When 
did they arrive at Agincourt? 8, 9. AVhat did Henry do? 10. What Wiis his speech 



BATTLE OF AGINCOURT. 1415. 



175 



11. The French passed the night in noisy festivity; and, confi- 
dent of victory on the morrow, it was agreed among them that all 
the English should be put to the sword, excepting the king and the 
chief nobility, who were to be saved for the sake of their ransoms. 

12. We need not detain tlie reader by giving the details of the 
battle, which took place the next day. It would be but the story 
of Cressy and Poictiers over again. The French, proud of their 
own strength, and despising tlie weakness of the enemy, acted with 
rashness and fool-hardiness, which gave to their cautious and well- 
disciplined enemy a complete victory. 




BATTLE OF AGINCOURT. 

13. The king himself displayed a valor worthy of the Black 
Prince. Arrayed in shining armor, with a crown of gold, adorned 
with precious stones, on his head, he was easily to be distinguished 
in the thickest of the fight. Eighteen French knights had made a 
vow to kill or take the English king, and they all lost their lives in 
attempting to fulfil it. 

14. They were all slain by David Cam, the king's faithful squire, 
and two other Welshmen, who defended him at the cost of their 
own lives. Henry knighted them as they lay bleeding to death at, 
his feet. One might think it could do the dying man but little 
good to say to him, " Eise up. Sir David Cam !" but it was the only 
means at that moment in the king's power to exj^ress his sense of 
gratitude and regard for so faithful a servant. 

15. The battle being at an end, Henry called upon the French 
herald, who was named Mountj'oy, to declare to whom the victory 



to some of the nobles? 11. IIow did tlio Frencli pass tlie night? 12. What of the con- 
duct of the two parties? 1-3. What of the conduct of the king in the battle? 14. IIow 
did he reward his faithful sijnire? 15. What is the battle called? Where was it fought? 



17(3 HENRY AGAIN INVADES FRANCE. 1417. 

belonged ; and he adjudging it to the English, the king asked him the 
name of a neighboring castle, to which he pointed with his finger. 
" It is called Agincourt," replied the herakl. " Then," said the king, 
" this action shall lienceforth be called The Battle of Agincourt." 



CHAPTER C. 



Henry again invades France.— Makes a Treaty, by which he is consti- 
tuted Regent of thai Kingdom, and declared to be the Successor to the 
Crown. — His Death. 

1. The victory of Agincourt was of little real service to Henry, 
for he was too weak to take advantage of the dismay of the French, 
to extend his conquests in their country. It served, perhaps, to 
make the king's popularity at home more firm, but at the same 
time it inspired him with a love of new conquests. 

2. With this view he returned to England, to procure a fresh 
supply of men and money. The people crowded to receive him, 
and were in such ecstasies of joy. that when he approached Dover, 
many of them plunged into the sea to meet his barge. 

3. In August, 1417, Henry again invaded France at the head of 
a considerable army. The quarrels among the nobles had left that 
country in a more defenceless state even than before. No prepara- 
tions had been made for opposing the progress of the English, and 
they marched forward into the country, taking possession of all the 
towns in their way. 

4. At last, when they had conquered the whole of Normandy, the 
contending factions in France began to consider, when too late, what 
was to be done. An apparent reconciliation took place between the 
parties. But this was put an end to by the murder of the Duke of 
Burgundy, as it was supposed by the instigation of the dauphin, as 
the eldest son of the King of France was always called, as the eldest 
son of the King of England is called the Prince of Wales. 

5. Philip, the new Duke of Burgundy, forgetting every other 
consideration in his desire of vengeance for his father's death, en- 
tered into a treaty Avith Henry, by which it was agreed that the 
latter should govern France, during the life of the present king, 
with the title of regent, and at his death should succeed to the 
crown in exclusion of the dauphin ; thus France and England were 
to be forever united in one monarchy. 

6. Charles A^'L, King of France, whose title for life was thus 
respected, was a poor deranged man, and his person was in the 
possession of the Bixrgundians. They compelled him to give his 
assent to this treaty, which disinherited his own son, and gave his 
kingdom to its most bitter enemies. 

C. — 1. What is said of the advantages of tlie victory at Agincourt? 2. How was 
Henry received in England? 3. When did Henry again invade France? What is said 
of the condition of France? 4. How was the reconciliation among tlie French nobles 



DEATH OF HENRY V. — 1422. 177 

7. In fulfilment of the terms of the same treaty, Henry married 
Catharine, daughter of the French king. The two kings with their 
queens made a triumphant entry into Paris, in May, 1420, where 
the union of the two crowns was celebrated with great outward de- 
monstrations of joy. 

8. But the dauphin did not submit tamely to the loss of his inher- 
itance. Retiring with a few followers to a distant part of France, he 
assumed the title of regent, and vigorously defended the few places 
that still adhered to him. 

9. In 1422, Henry took the command of the army employed 
against the dauphin, but, being taken sick, was obliged to resign it to 
his brother, the Duke of Bedford. He then retired to Vincennes, 
near Paris, where he grew rapidly worse. He soon felt himself to 
be near his end, and sent for the Duke of Bedford and the Earl of 
Warwick to receive his last directions. 

10. He appointed the Duke of Bedford Begent of France, and 
the Duke of Gloucester Regent of England. His infant son he com- 
mitted to the care of Warwick. He also gave particular orders that 
the prisoners taken at Agincourt should not be released till this son, 
then only a few months old, should be of age. 

11. After he had given his final directions, he asked his physi- 
cians how long they thought he might live. And when they 
told him, " About two hours," he shut out from his thoughts every 
earthly care, and spent his remaining moments in devotion. He died 
August 31st, 1422, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the tenth 
of his reign. 

12. His funeral procession was conducted with great pomp through 
France, and afterwards from Dover to Westminster, where he was 
buried. Tapers were kept burning day and night on his tomb for 
nearly one hundred years, and might be burning still perhaps, if such 
customs had not gone out of fashion at the Reformation. 

TABLE OF THE FAMILY OF HENRY V. 



Catharine of France, married afterwards to Owen Tudor, a Welsh gentleman, 
who does not appear to have had anything to recommend him but his 
beauty and his fine dancing. 

SON. 
Henry, Prince of Wales, who was born December 6, 1421. 



Catharine had three sons after she married Owen Tudor; namely, Edmund, 

Earl of Richmond, father of Henry Tudor, afterwards King Henry VII. 
Jasper, Earl of Pembroke. 
Owen. 

defeated? 5. What did the new Duke of Burgundy do? 6. What is said of the King 
of i'rance? 7. Wliom did Henry marry? 9. What happened to Henry in 1422? 10. 
What were his last directions ? 11. When did he die? What was his age? What the 
length of his reign f 12. What honors were paid liim after death ? 



178 



THE ENGLISH IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 



CHAPTER CI. 

Domestic Habits of the English in the Fifteenth Century. 







COSTUMES OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 

1. It is time to say something of the domestic habits of tlie Eng- 
lish at this period of history. The nobility no longer lived shut up in 
gloomy castles, but began to inhabit large rambling houses, built of 
timber, and covered with plaster. The outside wood-work was very 
much carved, and the windows were large and wide. 

2. The principal apartment was the hall, which was two or three 
stories high, and commonly had an entrance porch. The floor of the 
upper end of the hall was raised about one foot higher than the rest, 
and called the dais ; here the lord of the mansion was accustomed 
to sit with his guests. 

3. The lower part was common to the menials of the family, of 
whom there were in every house a great number. The furniture of 
these halls was not very sumptuous, and usually consisted of only a 
long table fastened to the floor, three or four wooden benches for the 
gentlemen, with some low stools for the ladies, and perhajis a cup- 
board in the corner. 

4. The most frequent decoration for the walls was taj^estry, which 
w^as hung on large hooks, and taken down in summer. Few houses 

CI. — 1. What cbanf;<- in (lie place of residence of the nobles? 2. What was the 
dais? 3. How was tlie hall furnished? 4. What was the reredosse? 5, 6. W'hat of 



THE ENGLISH IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 179 

had chimneys ; in most the fire was placed on a large stone hearth 
in the middle of the floor, called a reredoi<»e, and, unless when a 
hole in the roof was made for it, the smoke found its way out 
through the rafters. There was a little ledge round the hearth, to 
prevent the ashes and blazing sticks from falling about. 

5. The entertainments of the nobles were conducted with much 
pomp and stateliness. The lord of the mansion sat in state at the 
head of the long, clumsy, oaken board, and his guests were seated 
on each side, according to their rank. The table was loaded with 
capacious pewter dislies of venison, poultry, wild fowls, and fish, 
dressed in ditferent fashions ; roasted cranes and stewed porpoises 
being favorite dishes. The tables were decorated with castles made 
of pastry, and tigers of jelly. 

6. Ale, beer, and wine were plentifully furnished, and handed to 
the company in pewter or wooden cups. The feast was enlivened 
by singers, minstrels, and dances. But the entertainment was not 
conducted according to our notions of delicacy and cleanliness. 
Overhead were the perches for hawks, and under foot the pavement 
was crowded with dogs, gnawing the bones that were thrown to them. 

7. In some houses, while the company sat at one end of the hall, 
the servants dressed the dinner at the other end. This, upon com- 
mon occasions, was plain enough ; an enormous dish of salt fish, 
and huge joints of beef, with a little garnish of cabbage, formed the 
every-day dinner of many a noble baron. 

8. When he and his guests had eaten what they chose, the 
serving-men took their share, and what remained was given to 
the poor, who, at the hour of dinner, stood in crowds about the 
gates to receive it. It had now become the fashion in great fami- 
lies to have four meals a day. 

9. These were the breakfast at seven o'clock, dinner at ten, sup- 
per at four, and ^/ce/v/ between eight and nine; the last of these 
was a collation of cakes and mulled wine, taken in the bed- 
chamber, just before going to rest. 



CHAPTER OIL 

Domestic Habits of the English in the Fifteenth Centurij, continued. — 
State of Learning. — Whittingfon, Lord Mayor. 

1. After this desci'iption of the fnrniture of the hall, we shall 
not expect to find that the accommodations for sleeping were very 
comfortable. A poor person of the present day would excite the 
compassion of the benevolent, if he was as meanly lodged as was 
the richest nobleman in the reign of Henry V. ; a flock bed and a 

entertainments? V. What of cooking, and dislies? 8, 9. What were the liours for 
nn'als? 



180 



THE ENGLISH IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 



chaff bolster were then considered extraordinary luxuries; while 
soft pillows were made only for sick people. 

2. The beds of the middle classes were straw pallets, covered 
with a sheet, and a log of wood for a bolster, with a blanket and 
coverlet, like those now used for horse-cloths. As for servants, it 
was very seldom they had any sheets at all to keep the hard straw 
from hurting them, and the sleeping in night-clothes was an ex- 
travagance they did not indulge in. 

3. As field sports, such as hunting and hawking, were the chief 
delight of the nobles, they had no idea of going to London for 
amusement, as their successors do now-a-days. Yet many of them 
had houses there, which they occupied wlien they were summoned 
thither by the king, or attended parliament, or went there for any 
other public occasion. 

4. These houses were called inns; as "Derby Inn," or " Furni- 
val's Inn," from the names of the owners. The common method 
of building houses in towns, was to make every story project beyond 
the one below it : so that in narrow streets the top stories almost met. 

\,v ,'\/\':f-r,'L (TSl Siiiii"[,.i 




WHITTINGTON, LORD MAYOR. 



5. Learning was very little esteemed at this period. Most of the 
valuable places in the church were bestowed on illiterate men or 
foreigners, through the papal influence, while the best scholars in 
the kingdom were left to languish in want and obscurity. These 
were sometimes obliged to beg their bread from door to door, with 



CII. — 1, 2. What is said of the lodging? 3. What is said of the residence of the 
nobles? 4. What was the style of building houses? 5. What is said of the state of learn- 



THE MAID OF ORLEANS. — 1428. 181 

written certificates given them by the officers of the colleges in 
which they had studied. 

6. Two of these learned beggars arrived one day at the castle of a 
nobleman, and presented their recommendations, for charity. From 
these he learned that they had a taste for poetry, whereupon he 
ordered his servants to take them to a draw-well, and, after putting 
each of them into a bucket, to let them down alternately into the 
water till they should make some verses upon the buckets. 

7. After they had endured this discipline for some time, to the 
great entertainment of the baron and his company, they made out to 
compose some stanzas, and were set at liberty. There Avere doubt- 
less impostors among the learned beggars then, as among the ship- 
wrecked and burnt-out beggars now ; and the two we have mentioned 
probably belonged to this class ; for such treatment would otherwise 
have been very inconsistent with the hospitality which was so uni- 
versal at that day. 

8. We have all heard the pleasant story of Whittington and his 
cat. As to the cat, the historian cannot vouch for her existence ; 
but Whittington himself was a real person, and was actually " Lord 
Mayor of London" in the reign of Henry V. He was a very 
munificent personage, and many of the charitable institutions 
founded by him exist to this day. 



CHAPTER CHI. 

Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans. 

1. It is not often that history presents to us three brothers of such 
fine qualities, and such superior abilities, as Henry V. and the Dukes 
of Bedford and Gloucester. The Duke of Bedford was the superior. 
He equalled the king in valor and wisdom, and excelled him in the 
excellent virtues of clemency and command of temper. Gloucester, 
the good Duke Humphrey, as he was called, was a man of high prin- 
ciples and great integrity. 

2. The unfortunate King of France did not long survive his con- 
queror, and immediately upon his death, the dauphin, Charles VII., 
assumed the title of king. In spite of all his efforts to the contrary, 
he was fast losing the little territory he had left, when, by one of 
the most extraordinary circumstances that ever was recorded in 
history, he was enabled to regain all that his father had lost. 

3. The details of the deliverance of France from the English be- 
long more particularly to the history of that country, and you cannot 
have forgotten the story of the Maid of Orleans, as I there related 
it to you. I shall here repeat only the leading events in her life. 

4. Joan of Arc was a poor peasant girl, who served as the hostler 
at the inn of a small village in France. The tales told by the trav- 

ing? 6, 7. Relate the story of the two learned beggars. 8. What is said of Whit- 
tington ? 
cm. — 1. What is said of the Dukes of Bedford and Glouce.^ter? 4. Who was Joan of 

16 



182 



THE MAID or ORLEANS. — 1128. 



ellers who stf)pped there, of the cruelties practised by the English, 
made a great impression upon her excitable mind ; and her enthu- 
siasm in behalf of her countrymen at last rose to such a pitch as 
to make her believe that she was appointed by God to be their de- 
liverer. 




JOAN OF ARC, THE MAID OF GKI^EANS. 

5. Orleans was the sole town of importance remaining to Charles 
VIT., and this had long been besieged by the English. Just at the 
moment when its deliverance seemed hoj^eless, and the fortunes of 
the French king to be in a desperate condition, Joan presented her- 
self to that monarch, and made known to him what she called her 
divine commission. 

6. The king, glad to avail himself of any expedient to raise the 
spirits of his countrymen, accepted her offer of service. In a com- 
plete suit of armor, and mounted on a war-horse, which her employ- 
ment at the inn had made her expert in managing, she set off with 
a small escort of soldiers for Orleans. 

7. The report of her coming had gone before her, and the English 
troops, who believed her all that she declared herself to be, suf- 
fered her to pass through their camp without opposition, and to 
enter the city. A change at once took place in the state of affairs. 
Taking the command of the troops, she made repeated sallies upon 
the besiegers, who fled at her npproach without making any resist- 
ance, for they believed that in contending with her they were fight- 
ing against Heaven. 

8. The English commander was at length obliged to raise the 
siege, and thus Joan, who henceforth Avas called the Maid of Or- 



Arc ? What did she believe herself appointed to do ? 5, 6, 7. Relate the events of her 



DEATH OF THE MAID OF ORLEANS. IJ?,!. 183 

leans, in part redeemed her promise. Tlie Frencli now became tlie 
assailants ; many towns were taken, and on every occasion the 
Maid behaved with the courage of an experienced soldier. 

9. Next to the relief of Orleans, the object wliich Joan had most 
at heart was that Charles should be crowned at Rheims, the usual 
place of the coronation of the kings of France. This seemed to be 
more difficult than her former exploits; for the whole country in 
the neighborhood of that city was in the possession of the enemy. 
Hei"e again the general superstition aided her, and she accom- 
plished her object. 

10. The ceremony of the coronation being over, Joan announced 
that her task was finislied, and, falling at the king's feet, besought 
him to permit her to return to her former station. But the king 
would not consent to this, and constrained her to rem.'iiu with the 
troops. He was too poor to make her any substantial return for 
her services, but, as a token that he was not unmindful of them, he 
ennobled her family. 

11. On the first unexpected turn of fortune, the French com- 
manders had been willing to give all the honor of the successes to 
Joan ; but after a time they became jealous of her fame ; and one 
day when some troops under her command were repulsed ne-ar 
Compifegne, and obliged to retreat into the town, the governor 
admitted the whole party except poor Joan, who was purposely 
shut out. 

12. Being thus left alone in the midst of a host of enemies, she 
was pulled from her horse and made a prisoner. The treatment 
she received from Bedford is a dreadful blot upon the character of 
a man whose life had hitherto been more than ordinarily blame- 
less. He caused her to be burned alive in the market-place of 
Rouen, on the 30th of May, 1431. The spot of this bloody sacrifice 
is yet marked by a statue of the heroic Alaid. 

is. Bedford hoped, by her execution as a sorceress, to counteract 
the influence of superstition on the minds of both French and Eng- 
lish. But the effect was very different from what he expected. Her 
death excited the horror and detestation of the English towards 
those concerned in it; and the indignation of the French prompted 
them to yet greater exertions. 

14. The duke himself did not long survive his victim. On his 
death, he was buried at Rouen. When Charles VII. took posses- 
sion of that city, his courtiers proposed to him to destroy the 
monument of black marble which had been erected over his grave. 
" No," said Charles, " let him repose in peace, and be thankful that 
he does repose, for were he to awake, he would make the stoutest 
of us tremble." 

life to the raising of the siege of Orleans. 9, 10, 11, 12. Relate the remaining events of 
her life. 13. What etfect did Bedford hope to produce by her death? How were his 
expectations answered? 14. What more is .said of the duke? 



184 



HENRY VI. — 1429. 



CHAPTER CIV. 

Henrri VI. — Qiiarr eh between his Councillors. — 3Iarriage of the King 
with Margaret of Anjou. — Curious Charge of Sorcery. — Murder of 
the Duke of Gloucester. 

h I 




crow MM, OF HENRY VI 



1. Kings, however insignificant in character, cannot be entirely 
passed over. We must, therefore, say something about Henry VI., 
who would himself have been glad to remain in the background 
during the whole of his life, for he was of a timid and quiet dispo- 
sition, and entirely unfit for the cares of royalty. 

2. He inherited neither the fine qualities nor the majestic figure 
of his father, nor any of his mother's delicate beauty. His personal 
appearance was inelegant, his countenance dull and unmeaning. 
His character is thus described by an old historian : 

3. " There never was a more holy, nor a better creature, a man 
of a meek spirit and a simple wit, preferring peace to war, and rest 
to business, and honesty before profit. He was governed of those 
he should have ruled, and bridled of those he should have sharply 
spurred." 

4. Some witty person has said, " Princes are flattered by all things 



CIV.— 1,2, 3. What of Henry VI.? 5. What of his friend, the Earl of Warwick? 



MARGARET OF ANJOU. 1444. 185 

but their horses, who will make no more ceremony about throwing a 
king than a groom," and few kings could have been earlier subjected 
to flattery than Henry VI. ; for, when only eight months old, he was 
kept quiet in his mother's lap to listen, or rather to appear to listen, 
to a long address from parliament, in which he was called a " most 
toward prince and sovereign governor." When he was only eight 
years old he was solemnly crowned at Paris as King of France. 

5. However, Henry was more fortunate than most princes in 
having one wise and sincere friend in the good old Beauchamp, 
Earl of Warwick, who, when the king was eleven years old, not 
only himself reprimanded him, but also desired the council would 
in a body admonish him of his faults. 

6. After the death of Warwick, the care of the young king de- 
volved principally upon Cardinal Beaufort, between whom and 
Gloucester, the Regent of England, quarrels were constantly taking 
place. When the king was twenty-four years old, the cardinal, in 
order to thwart the good duke, formed a plan for the marriage of 
Henry with Margaret of Anjou. 

7. Gloucester, as if he had foreseen the miseries which this fatal 
union would bring upon the country, did all in his power to prevent 
it. But his efforts only made Beaufort and his party more eager to 
bring it about, and the marriage took place in 1445. 

8. Margaret was a woman of great accomplishments, but with a 
most vindictive temper. She never forgave the Duke of Gloucester 
for the opposition he had made to her marriage, and came to Eng- 
land vowing vengeance against him in her heart ; and she found 
willing associates in Cardinal Beaufort and the Duke of Suffolk. 

9. These noblemen had already commenced their machinations 
by accusing Eleanor Cotham, Gloucester's wife, of witchcraft. She 
was charged with having caused an image of the king to be made 
in wax; this, the accusers said, was laid before a gentle fire, and as 
the wax dissolved, the king's strength was wasted ; and ujjon its 
total dissolution, his life was to be at an end. 

10. Upon this absurd charge she was found guilty, and con- 
demned to do public penance, and then to be imprisoned for life 
on the Isle of Man. One of the evidences brought to prove that 
she was a witch was a paper of mathematical figures written by her 
priest, which the ignorance of the people who found it imagined 
to be some magical incantation. 

11. Having the support of the queen, these wicked nobles deter- 
mined now to attempt the destruction of the duke himself; he was 
accused of high treason, but the council, though composed entirely 
of his enemies, were compelled to pronounce him innocent of the 
charge. He was, notwithstanding, imprisoned, and soon after- 
wards found dead in his bed. 

12. If Margaret was really accessory to his murder, she was fully 
punished. Gloucester's death was, in fact, her greatest misfortune ; 



6. Who instigated him to marry Margaret of Anjou? 7. Who opposed the marriage? 8. 
What of Margaret 1 9. What charge was made against Eleanor Cotham ? 10. What was 
offered as evidence against her? 11, 12. What more is said of Gloucester? 

16* 



186 



DESIGNS OF THE DUKE OF YORK. 1444. 



for, had he lived, his ability, integrity, and great popularity, would 
probably have preserved the family from those calamities that after- 
wards befell them. 



CHAPTEE CV. 



Tlie Duke of York forms a Design to claim the Crown. — Insurrection 
of Jack Cade. 




USSIK6 



J\CIv C\DKb RtBEILION 



1. After the death of the Dulce of Bedford, a considerable time 
elapsed before the English council could decide upon his successor. 
While they were disputing who sliould be Regent of France, the 
French were fast deciding the question for themselves ; for Charles 
made himself master of Paris, and of many other important places. 

2. The Duke of York was at length appointed. When he arrived 
in France, he found the English cause in a very declining state, 
and supported only by the bravery and exertions of Lord Talbot, 
who was now the sole survivor of Henry V.'s brave band of war- 
riors. The disputes and factions at home rendered all his efforts to 
preserve the possessions of the English in France of no avail ; and 
in 1444, a truce for six years was agreed upon. 

3. The Duke of York conducted afl'airs in France with great 
wisdom and prudence, but he would not consent to become the tool 



CV. — 1. What is saifl of the appointment of regent for Fnince after Bedford's death ? 
2. Who was at lengtli appointed? 3. What was the cause of the recall of York? 4. What 



INSURRECTION OF JACK CADE. — -1450. 187 

of the queen and Suffolk, who now managed everything their own 
way, and he was therefore recalled, and the Duke of Somerset ap- 
pointed in his stead. 

4. Suffolk and Margaret had soon reason to repent of this unwise 
measure; for York, who had hitherto been a loyal subject, feeling 
himself greatly injured, now meditated revenge, by asserting his own 
claim to the crown. By his father he was descended from Edward 
the Third's youngest son. 

5. From his mother, who was the last of the Mortimers, he in- 
herited the claim of that family from Lionel, second son of tlie samic 
king. We must not forget that John of Gaunt, from whom Henry 
VI. was descended, was Edward's third son; therefore York, in right 
of his mother, had certainly a superior claim to the crown. He kept 
his designs secret for some time, waiting for an opportunity of for- 
warding them. 

6. The bad management of affairs, both at home and abroad, by 
which the English possessions in France had been so much reduced 
that only Calais remained of them, excited the popular indignation 
so much, that, in 1450, the parliament was comjaelled to bring 
charges of high treason against Suffolk. 

7. The queen contrived to get him off with five years' banishment, 
and he sailed for France. But his enemies, who feared that Margaret 
would recall him, employed a captain of a vessel to intercept him in 
his passage. Being brought to Dover, his head was struck off on the 
side of a boat, and his body thrown into the sea. 

8. The popular discontent likewise displayed itself in tumults and 
insurrections. The most formidable was one that broke out in 
Kent, headed by a man named Jack Cade, who defeated an army 
of the king's troops at Sevenoaks. Elated by his victory, he advanced 
to London. 

9. Entering the city, he put to death the sheriff and several nobles, 
and striking with a staff what is called London Stone, (a stone which 
is yet to be seen in London, and is supposed to have been placed in 
its present position by the Romans, to mark the spot from which 
they measured the distance from the city,) he said, "Now I am 
master of London." 

10. But his triumph did not last long; for, on the appearance of a 
body of troops, his followers fled, and upon a pardon being offered to 
all who should return to their homes, they deserted their leader, and 
Cade soon found himself alone. For a short time he wandered about 
in disguise, but was at last found lurking in a garden in Sussex, and 
put to death on the spot. 

claim had York to the crown? 6. Wliat is said of the niaiiageiiient of affairs by Mar- 
garet and Suffolk? 7. What was the fate of Suffolk? 8, 9, ID. Relate the particulars of 
Jack Cade's insurrection. 



188 THE WAR OF THE TWO ROSES. — 1455. 



CHAPTER CVI. 

Battle of St. Albans.— The Duke of York claims the Crown.— War- 
toiek, the King-maker. 

1. As the necessity for keeping an English regent in France had 
now ceased, Somerset returned to England, and succeeded to Sulfolk's 
place in the confidence and favor of the queen. His misconduct in 
France had made him very unpopular, and his administration was 
very naturally compared with that of York, who had acquitted 
himself very well during his regency. 

2. In 1454, the king sunk into a state of total bodily and mental 
weakness. The Duke of York was thereupon made protector of the 
kingdom ; and tlie first use he made of his power was to put Somerset 
in prison. The king soon after recovered his reason, and then Som- 
erset was set at liberty, and York removed from the protectorship. 

3. The quarrel between these two nobles soon after threw the 
whole kingdom into a ferment. They both assembled their friends 
and vassals, and met at St. Albans, where a desperate battle was 
fought, May 3d, 1455, in which Somerset was killed and the Duke of 
York was comi)letely victorious. 

4. The king, whom Somerset had dragged, much against his will, 
into the battle, was wounded, and took refuge in the house of a 
tanner. Here the Duke of York found him, and falling upon his 
knees before him, declared himself his loyal subject, and ready to 
obey his commands. " If so," said the king, " stop the pursuit and 
slaughter." 

5. This was the commencement of the wars between the Houses 
of York and Lancaster; a war which lasted thirty years, cost the 
lives of eighty royal ^^rinces, and almost entirely annihilated the 
ancient nobility of England. It is sometimes called the war between 
the two roses, because the badge worn by the adherents of the house 
of York was a white rose, whilst those of Lancaster wore a red 
rose. 

6. Heniy was conducted to London by the Duke of York, who 
treated him with the greatest submission and respect. Notwith- 
standing his professions of loyalty, yet, under pretence of freeing the 
king from evil counsellors, he continued to carry on the war against 
the queen and her party. 

7. At last the duke declared his secret views on the crown itself; 
and on this, many wlio had joined him because they supposed he 
was contending for the public good, deserted his standard. He, 
seeing himself thus suddenly abandoned, retired into Ireland. 

CVI. — 1. Who succeeded to Suffolk's place? 2. When, and for what reason, was 
York made protector? Wliat followed the king's recovery? 3. When was the battle 
of St. AUians fought? Between what parties? What was the result? 4. What be- 
came of the king? 5. AVhat war was this the commencement of ? Why was it called the 
war of the Two Roses? 6. How was Henry treated by the Duke of York? 7. What 



CONTINUATION OF THE WAR. — 1456. 



189 



8. But he left a very able and zealous friend in England. This 
was his wife's brother, Nevil Earl of Warwick, commonly called, 
from subsequent events, The Kinrj -maker. This nobleman was the 
richest subject in the kingdom. On his different estates he main- 
tained 30,000 peojile, — a very great number, when we remember 
that the whole kingdom did not probably at that time contain more 
than 2,300,000. 

9. Stow, a writer of that day, describes Warwick coming into 
London with a train of 600 men, all in red jackets, embroidered on 
the sleeves with the hear and ragged staff, the badge of his family. 
He lodged in his house in Warwick Lane, and six fat oxen were 
often consumed in it for one breakfast. 

10. Not only his own people were fed at his cost, but all persons 
who had any acquaintance with those of his household might come 
and carry off as much boiled and roasted meat as they could bear 
away on their dagger ; so that it is no wonder that he was very popular. 



CHAPTER CVII. 

Continuation of the War between the Two Bases. — Death of tlie Duke 
of York. — His Son proclaimed King by the title of Edward IV. 




WAlte OI lliE l.ObKB. 



1. Warwick, having assembled an army, met the royalists at 
Northampton, where he obtained so decided a victory over them, that 



was the consequence of the duke's declaring his intentions? 8. What is said of War- 
wick's style of living? 



190 



DEATH OF THE DUKE OF YORK. 1460. 



they fled in all directions. The queen and her son with great diffi- 
culty escaped into Scotland. The king was found sitting alone in 
his tent, and carried by Warwick in triumph to London. 

2. The Duke of York now returned to England, and laid before 
parliament his claim to the crown. There was no doubt that he was 
the direct heir of Edward III., but the parliament was unwilling to 
dethrone the reigning king. It was therefore determined that Henry 
should remain king during his life, but that on his death, the Duke 
of York and his heirs should succeed. 

3. But Margaret was not of a disposition calmly to see her son 
thus set aside. By great exertions she collected a body of 20,000 
men, who were induced to enter her service by the promise of giving 
them the plunder of the fertile lands of England. 

4. With these she advanced towards London, and at Wakefield 
was met by the Duke of York, who, ignorant of the number of her 
forces, had with him only 5000 men. He wished to wait until his 
son, Edward, should arrive with a reinforcement ; but by the advice 
of his generals he changed his plan, and on the oOth of December, 
1460, marched to meet the enemy ; a fatal determination, for his 
little army was entirely defeated. 




HEAD UF THK DUKE OF YORK. 



5. He himself was among the first who fell, and the spot where 
he was slain is still fenced ofi' in the corner of a field near Sandal. 



CVII. — 1. What did Warwick do? Wliat bpcame of the qiieon and her son? What 
of the kinir? 2. Wliat is said nf the Dul;e of York? 3. How did Margaret receive the 
parliament's derision? By what proniiso did she collect an arnij? 4. What of the bat- 
tle of AVak<field? :">. What was the fate of the Puke uf York? 6. How many children 



BATTLE OF ST. ALBANS. 14(n. 



191 



He possessed many great and good qualities, and his death was sin- 
cerely lamented by all who had taken up his cause. 

6. He left three sons, Edward, George, and Richard, and three 
daughters. Another son, Edmund, a beautiful boy of twelve years 
of age, was killed on the same day with his father, being murdered 
in cold blood by Lord Clifford on Wakefield hedge, where a small 
chapel, which is still standing, was afterwards built, to perpetuate 
the memory of the bloody deed. 

7. Margaret, sanguinary and merciless, caused the head of the 
Duke of York to be cut offand fixed on the gates of York, with a paper 
crown, in derision of his claims; she also caused the most noble and 
valiant of the jirisoners to be beheaded without any form of trial. 

8. The queen tlien set forward to London ; and her followers 
fully availed themselves of the liberty to plunder, for they pillaged 
and burnt every church and dwelling, marking their way by fire 
and devastation. The Earl of Warwick hastened with his forces to 
meet her, taking with him the poor, passive king. 



V 



=^!r- f^^^f §1, 




THE YOUNG DUKE OF YORK MADE KING. 

9. The two armies met, on the 17th of February, 1461, and St. 
Albans was the scene of a second bloody battle. The Lancastrians 
obtained the victory, and Warwick fled, leaving the king behind, 



l| did he leavn? 7,8. Wliiit did Margaret do after the battle? 9. What is said of the 
'I second battle of St. Albans? What of the eonduct of the citizens of London towards 
li Margaret? 10. Wliat towards young Edward? 



192 EDWARD IV. — 1461. 

who rejoiced to be restored to his wife and son. But the queen's 
triumpli was of short duration ; the city of London was firm in the 
interests of the Yorkists ; and besides, the citizens feared to admit 
her tumultuous army, and refused to open their gates. 

10. Margaret was therefore compelled once more to retire to the 
north. Edward, the young Duke of York, having collected the 
remains of ^\^arwick's army, entered London on the od of March, 
amidst the acclamations of the multitude. Warwick then assem- 
bled the people, and presenting the young duke to them, demanded 
whether they chose to have him or Henry for their king. 

11. Shouts of " A York ! a York !" resounded from all sides, and 
the new king was at once proclaimed by the title of Edward IV. 
The next day he went in solemn procession to Westminster Hall, 
and, taking his seat on the throne, received the homage of a great 
number of nobles and bishops. 

12. Thus ended the reign of Henry VI., who, while in his cradle, 
had been proclaimed King of England and France, and who began 
his life with the most splendid prospects. His ruin is to be attrib- 
uted to his want of capacity, and to the misconduct of his queen 
and her favorites. 

FAMILY OF RICHARD, DUKE OF YORK. 
WIFE. 
Anne, daughter of Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. 

SONS. 
Edward, afterwards King of England. 
George, Duke of Clarence, executed. 
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, afterwards King Richard III. 



Anne. 
Margaret. 



DAUOHTERS. 



CHAPTER CVIII. 



Edward IV. — The Civil War continues. — Adventures of Henry and 
his Queen. — Wretched Condition of the Lancastrians. 

1. Edward was scarcely nineteen years old, when he found him- 
self, almost beyond his own expectation, placed upon the throne. 
He was brave, active, and enterprising, with a capacity far beyond 
his years. Comines, an old historian, tells us, that "he was tall of 
person, fair of face, of a most princely presence, and altogether the 
goodliest man that ever mine eyes beheld." 

2. But one almost regrets to find these brilliant qualities in a 
prince whose character is blackened by the worst vices. In peace 

CVIII.— 1, 2. What of Edward IV.? 3, 4. Where was the first battle fought? What 



THE CIVIL WAR CONTINUES. — 1461. 



193 



he revelled in every kind of self-indulgence, and in war was sangui- 
nary beyond all who had gone before him. 




MARGARET AND THE ROBBER. 

3. The first battle, after he became king, was fought at Towton. 
Never did two armies encounter each other with more inveterate 
hatred ; and the orders of the commanders on each side were to take 
no prisoners, and give no quarter. 

4. The battle lasted from early in the morning till late in the 
evening, and was one of the most bloody ever fought in Britain. The 
snow fell thickly, but the Yorkists had their backs to the storm, while 
the Lancastrians, who faced it, were greatly incommoded by it. The 
latter were defeated with great slaughter. Henry and his family 
waited the result at York, and, as soon as they heard of it, fled with 
the utmost precipitation to Scotland. 

5. Edward now satiated his revengeful temper by many bloody 
executions, and every Lancastrian who fell into his hands was con- 
demned as a traitor. To strengthen his own party, he conferred 
honors and titles on all his friends. Indeed, it had become quite 
necessary to make new peers, since the late exterminating battles, 
and the executions which followed them, had greatly reduced the 
numbers of the nobility. 

6. These reverses of fortune seemed only to increase the energy of 
Margaret. She made two voyages into France, in hopes of obtaining 
aid from thence. At last, by her untiring exertions, she raised an 
army, with which she invaded England by the way of Scotland. She 



is said of it? 6. What is said nf Margarot's energy? 7. Wluit of the defeat at Hexham? 
17 



194 ADVENTURES OF HENRY AND HIS QUEEN. — 1464. 

met with some slight successes, but was defeated at Hedgby Moor 
April 25th, 1464; and three weeks afterwards at Hexham. 

7. This last defeat was so decided, that Plenry was only saved by 
the swiftness of his horse from being made prisoner. The queen and 
her son sought to conceal themselves in a wood; but there, losing 
their way, they fell among robbers, who took from them everything 
they had that was valuable. 

8. The robbers then luckily began to quarrel about the division of 
the plunder, which gave Margaret and the prince an opportunity of 
escaping from them. As they were wandering about in the wood, 
they met another robber. The queen, knowing that both flight and 
resistance were impossible, went boldly up to him, and, presenting 
her son, said, " Behold, my friend, the son of your king. I commit 
him to your protection." 

9. The man was so affected by this appeal, that he led them to a 
place of concealment, where they remained till the pursuit was over. 
He then conducted them to the sea-coast, whence they made their 
escape to France. 

10. Henry wandered about from one place of concealment to 
another for the space of a year, during which he suffered many hard- 
ships and privations. In July, 1465, as he sat at dinner at Wadding- 
ton Hall, he was betrayed by a monk to Sir James Harrington, who 
conveyed him to London, and resigned him into the hands of his 
great enemy, the Earl of Warwick. 

11. Warwick treated him with the utmost indignity, and, tying his 
feet under his horse's belly, as if he had been a criminal, compelled 
him to ride three times round the pillory, while the populace were 
by proclamation forbidden to show him any marks of respect or 
comi^assion. He was then confined in the Tower. 

12. His partisans were now reduced to so much distress, that 
many of the most distinguished nobles were absolutely begging their 
bread in foreign lands, while tlie Yorkists were revelling in their 
estates. Comines says, "I have seen the Duke of Exeter, barefooted 
and barelegged, begging from door to door ; but becoming known, 
the Duke of Burgundy bestowed on him a pension." 

13. Edward, with savage ferocity, did all he could to exterminate 
the Lancastrian nobles, and those who remained in England could 
save themselves only by concealment. The son of that Lord Clifford 
who murdered Prince Edmund was brought up as a shepherd. 
Another Lancastrian was concealed for five years in a cave on the 
banks of the river Derwent. The Countess of Oxford maintained 
herself and her family for some time by working with her needle, and 
when that failed, she was obliged to beg about the streets of London. 

Relate the adventari'S of Heurv till his caiilnro. 11. IInw was he treated by Warwick? 
12, 13. What uf hi-s party ? 



MARRIAGE OF EDWARD IV. — 1464. 



195 



CHAPTER CIX. 

Marriage of King Edward IV. — Warwick, offended at it, becomes his 
Enemy. — Battle of Barnet. — Death of Warwick. — Battle of Tewks- 
bury. — Captivity and Death of the young Prince of Wales. — Death 
of Margaret and of Henry, 




KING HENRY VI. RESTORED BY WARWICK. 

1. The Earl of Warwick was veiy desirous that the king should 
marry into some powerful foreign family. He was accordingly sent 
abroad to negotiate a match, and succeeded in procuring for Edward 
the hand of Bona, sister to the Queen of France. 

2. In the mean time, as Edward was one day hunting in Witch- 
wood Forest, he chanced to stop at the manor of Grafton, where was 
the Lady Elizabeth Gray, daughter of the Duchess of Bedford, and 
widow of Sir John Gray. This lady became a suitor to the king 
for some lands which had been forfeited for the part her husband 
had taken in the war. 

3. King Edward Avas so much charmed by her beauty and grace- 
ful behavior that he in his turn became a suitor to her. His 
addresses met with favor, and he presently married her. The court 
was soon crowded by her relations. Her father, Sir Richard Wood- 
ville, — whom her mother had married after the death of the Duke 
of Bedford, — her three brothers, and five sisters, were all raised to 
the rank of nobility, and married into the greatest families. 

4. Her eldest son, by Sir John Gray, was married to the king's 
niece, the daughter of the Duke of Exeter. This sudden prosperity 



CIX. — 1. How did Warwick wish the king to marry? 2, 3. Relate the incident 



196 EARL OF WARWICK CONSPIRES AGAINST EDWARD. 1470. 

made the new queen's family objects of jealousy to all the other 
courtiers. Edward gave himself up to pleasure, and the court was 
one continued scene of revelry ; yet under an outside of gayety and 
amusement was hidden a smothered tire of hatred and envy, 

5. The Earl of Warwick was of course highly indignant at this 
marriage of the king, which he considered as a personal affront to 
himself; and from being the king's best friend, he became his most 
formidable enemy. He concealed his resentment, however, till a 
favorable opportunity should occur for taking his revenge. 

6. The king's two brothers, who had been created Dukes of Clar- 
ence and of Gloucester, were also oftended at seeing themselves sup- 
planted by the new favorites. The Duke of Clarence had married 
Warwick's daughter, and in 1469 the two conspired together against 
the king. To further their views, they proceeded to France, where 
they were received with great joy by all the Lancastrians there. 

7. Queen Margaret hastened to secure his friendship by marrying 
her son to his daughter Anne. Edward was warned of the 
approaching storm by the Duke of Burgundy, but gave no heed to 
the admonition, and continued to spend his time in idle diversions. 




KING EDWARD S ESCAPE; 

8. Warwick landed in England, Sept. 13, 1470, where no prepara- 
tions had been made to oppose him. He was joined by large num- 
bers of disaffected persons, and Edward and his brother Gloucester 
departed on horseback, and saved themselves by taking passage in 
a trading-vessel to Friesland. They had embarked with so much 
haste, that they were unprovided with money to pay their passage, 
and the king was obliged to reward the captain of the ship by 
"•iving him his cloak. 



which led to the king's marriage. 4. What excited the jealousy of the courtiers? ^. 
How was Warwick affected by the king's marriage? 6. Wliat is said of the king'8 
brothers? S. When did Warwick invade England? What became of Edward? 9. 



BATTLK OF BARNET. 1471. 



197 



9. The poor queen took refuge in a sanctuary at Westminster, 
where her son, afterwards Edward V., was born. Warwick now 
carried all before him. The poor forgotten Henry was dragged 
from his prison, and once more made a king. But this triumph 
lasted only a few months. 

10. The Yorkists, who had been, as it were, stunned by so sudden 
a blow, soon recovered from their consternation. Edward returned to 
England, was joyfully received into London, and the imbecile Henry 
was once more committed to his prison. Warwick collected his 
forces, and went to meet Edward, who was advancing against him. 

11. The two armies met near Barnet, April 12th, 1471. In the 
course of the night, the fickle Clarence deserted to his brother with 
twelve thousand men. The next day the battle was fought. War- 
wick fell, covered with wounds ; a large number of nobles perished 
with him, and his army was completely routed. 

12. Queen Margaret and her son, having been detained by con- 
trary winds, did not land in England till the evening of the day on 
which the battle of Barnet was fought. When, instead of the 
triumphant return they had expected, they found all their hopes 
were blasted by the result of that fatal day, for the first time the 
queen's undaunted spirit forsook her, and she sank fainting to the 
ground. 

13. When she revived, she fled with her son to a sanctuary, in- 
tending to return to France. But some of the Lancastrians having 




PRINCE EDWARD BEFORE KING EDWARD. 

gathered around her, she was persuaded to stay and make one more 



What of the queen? 11. When and where was the decisive battle fought between Ed- 
ward and Warwick? 12. What is said of Margaret? 13. What of the battle of Tewks- 



17* 



198 DEATH OF HENRY VI. 1471. 

effort to regain the kingdom ; a fatal resolution, which cost the lives 
of many brave men, who were defeated and slain in a battle fought 
near Tewksbury, on the 3d of May. 

14. The queen and her son were soon after taken prisoners. The 
young prince was brought into the king's presence, who asked him 
how he dared to come into his kingdom in arms. He boldly re- 
plied, "I came to recover my father's kingdom;" upon which the 
king, who seemed insensible to magnanimity, gave him a blow on 
the face. This was considered as a signal for further violence, and 
he was dragged out of the room by the Dukes of Clarence and 
Gloucester, and murdered with their daggers. 

15. Margaret survived her son nine miserable years; five of 
which she passed in the Tower. The King of France then ran- 
somed her, and she returned to that country, where she died in 
1480. Edward returned in triumph to London, and the next day 
Henry was found dead in his bed. The manner of his death is not 
certainly known ; but there is little reason to doubt that he was 
murdered by Gloucester. 

FAMILY OF HENRY. 
WIFE. 
Margaret of Anjou. 

SON. 
Edward, Prince of Wales, murdered. 



TABLE OF THE KINGS OF THE HOUSE OF LANCASTER. 

Began to reign. Reigned. 

1399 . . 14 . . Henry IV., grandson of Edward III. 

1413 . . 9 . . Henry V., son of Henry IV. 

1422 . . 39 . . Henry VI., son of Henry V. 



CHAPTER ex. 



Edxvard IV. loses his energy-— Is outwitted by Louis of France. — Rich- 
ard, Duke of Gloucester, procures the Death of his brother Clarence. 

1. The king now led a life of luxury and indulgence; but he 
had one secret care which corroded all his enjoyments. Although 
the family of Lancaster had been in a manner extirpated, one dis- 
tant and slightly connected branch yet remained. Henry Tudor, 
Earl of Richmond, a grandson of Owen Tudor, was the only jserson 
in whose veins ran any of the blood of Lancaster. 

2. He was, therefore, considered the representative of that family. 
He had been brought up by the Duke of Brittany, who protected him 
from every attempt the King of England made to get him into his 

liiiry? 14. What was the foto of Margaret's son ? 1.5. What of Margaret herself ? Wliat 
of Henry? 

ex. — 1. Who was the only survivor of the family of Lancaster? 3,4,5. What is 



EDWARD OUTWITTED BY LOUIS OF FRANCE. 1475. 199 

power. Once Edward had nearly succeeded. In compliance with 
his wishes, Eichmond had already reached England, when the duke 
began to doubt the sincerity of Edward's promises, and sent after 
him and brought him back, thus saving him from probable destruc- 
tion ; for Edward's cruelty increased with his years. 

3. In 1475, Edward made great preparations for a Avar with 
France, and landed at Calais with thirty thousand men. But 
while the English were expecting great conquests, Edward, who 
had grown indolent, and preferred pleasure to war, suffered himself 
to be cajoled, by the cunning of Louis XL, into a disgraceful peace. 

4. Louis, who was one of the most wicked and most artful kings 
that ever reigned in France, by rich presents and pensions corrupted 
the integrity of many of the English nobles, and finally bribed King 
Edward himself to return to England. This conduct of the English 
excited the contempt even of the French. All the while that Louis 
was treating Edward with the most profound respect to his face, he 
used l)ehind his back to divert himself and his friends with ridi- 
culing him and his courtiers for being so mercenary and greedy. 

5. Although the Duke of Clarence had rendered the king such an 
important service in the battle of Barnet, yet he never was able to 
secure his brother's favor. The queen was his enemy, but he had 
a still more inveterate and dangerous one in his brother, the Duke 
of Gloucester. 



W 



6. Gloucester was very desirous to marry Anne, the daughter of 
''^arwick, who had been made a widow bv the murder of the vounsc 



young 



jirince. Clarence, who had married her eldest sister, wished her to 
remain single, that he might secure to himself the whole of War- 
wick's great estates. As Richard was not very attractive, in his 
character at least, and there are great disputes as to his person, it 
is probable that Clarence had little difficulty in persuading her to 
reject the addresses of her husband's murderer. 

7. But Gloucester was not a man to be deterred by any scruples 
from effecting that by violence which he could not accomplish by 
persuasion, and Anne was obliged to use many artifices to conceal 
herself. At last he discovered her, disguised as a cook-maid, in 
London, and immediately married her. 

8. Gloucester had now a new reason for hating Clarence. He 
sought in every way to excite the king's jealousy. A trifle at 
length gave him an oi^portunity of gratifying his malice. As the 
king was one day hunting in the park of Thomas Burdet, who was 
a friend of Clarence, it so happened that he killed a white buck, a 
great favorite of the owner. 

9. Burdet, vexed at his loss, fell into a passion, and wished the 
horns of the buck might be the death of him who had advised the 
king to kill it ; but as no one had advised the king to do this, it was 
agreed that these words could apply only to the king himself; and 
Burdet was thereupon condemned and executed, on the pretence of 
his wishing the king's death. 

p.-ud of Edward's conduct in regard to France ? 6. How was the Duke of Clarence viewed 
by the royal family? 7, 8. What particular cause of hatred had Gloucester? 9, 10, 11. 



200 BOOKS IN THE REIGN OF KDWAKD IV. 1461-1483. 

10. Clarence expressed very freely his opinion of the injustice of 
this act. These expressions were forthwith reported to the king by 
Gloucester, probably with many exaggerations. Clarence Avas at 
once arrested, and the parliament, who dared not oppose the wishes 
of the king, condemned him to die. 

11. As a royal and brotherly favor, the king allowed him to 
choose the manner of his death. Historians tell us that he desired 
to be drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine, and that he was gratified 
in his wish. He had a son, who inherited his grandfather's title 
of the Earl of Warwick, and a daughter, afterwards Countess of 
Salisbury, both of whom met with violent deaths. 

12. Edward survived his brother about five years; his life is said 
to have been shortened by his excesses, and his death at last to 
have been produced by his vexation at having been outwitted by 
Louis XL, in a new negotiation. He died April 9th, 1483, in the 
forty-first year of his age, and the twenty-third of his reign. 

FAMILY OF EDWARD IV. 

WIFE. 

Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Woodville, and widow of Sir John Gray. 

SONS. 
Edward, Prince of Wales. 
Richard, Duke of York. 

DAUGHTERS. 
Elizabeth, married to Henry VII. 
Cicely. 
Anne. 
Catharine. 



CHAPTER CXI. 

The Invention of the Art of Printing. — Introduced into England by 
William Caxton. 

1. There were very few books written during the reign of 
Edward IV., which some have accounted for by attributing it to 
the then recent discovery of the art of printing. They suppose 
that the business of transcribing declined before printing was 
brought to sufficient perfection to supply its place. 

2. To whom, among the great number of claimants of the merit, 
we are indebted for this valuable invention is a matter of dispute. 
There is a common story that Laurcntius Coster, of Haarlem, was 
the person to whom the idea first occurred. The following account 
of it is in the words of his old servant: 

3. " He, one day, walking in the wood near the city, as the rich 

Relate the incident which )j;ave an excuse for putting Clarence to rleath. 12. What was 
the manner of Clarence's death? 

CXI. — 1. How is the smallness of tlie number of books written in Edward IV.'s time 
accciunted for? 2. To whom is the invention of printing usually attributed? 3. What 



PRINTING INTRODUCED INTO ENGLAND. — 1471. 201 

citizens Avere wont to do, diverted himself by cutting letters on the 
bough of a beech-tree, and for fancy's sake the thought struck him 
to take the impression off on paper with ink, to please his grand- 
children. 

4. " The experiment succeeding beyond his expectation, he and 
his son-in-law applied their minds to improve the discovery. They 
made wooden types ; but for a time they could only print on one 
side of a page. An old parchment, with the alphabet and the 
Lord's prayer printed on it, is, I am told, preserved in some library 
in Germany, and is supposed to have been one of these first 
attempts." 

5. This story goes on to say that Coster set up a press in his own 
house, and wished to keep his discovery a secret, but that two of his 
servants stole his types. But the more authentic accounts seem to 
show that John Gutenberg, of Mentz, was the real inventor of 
printing, and that one Faust was his partner in the first successful 
attempts in the art. 

6. The first book which was printed by Faust is an exceedingly 
splendid Bible, of the supposed date of 1450, or thereabouts. An 
honest citizen and mercer of London, named William Caxton, had 
occasion to go into Holland, where he heai'd and saw much of this 
new discovery. 

7. Being very solicitous to make so valuable an art known in 
England, he established himself for some time at Cologne, for the 
purpose of learning it ; and, though he was in his fifty-seventh year, 
he applied himself so diligently to his new undertaking, that, in 
1471, he printed a book entitled " The Recule of the History of 
Troy." 

8. He then went to England and set up a printing-press at West- 
minster, and printed a book on the Game of Chess, interspersed 
with wood-cuts, which appear uncouth enough to us, but were at 
the time considered as admirable specimens of engraving. 

9. Caxton carried over with him the types used in Germany, and 
of course marked with the characters used in that country. From 
these and similar types, all English books were printed for more 
than a century. It is called black letter. In the reign of James I. 
the Roman character (the one now used) was adopted, and soon 
entirely superseded the old German, or black letter. 

10. We must now say a few words of the ships, or "wooden 
walls of old England," as they are called. A great change had 
taken place in the construction of them in the last few reigns. The 
ships of war were of much larger size, and on the top of the mast 
was a little wooden tower, in which three or four men could stand 
to hurl down stones and arrows into an enemy's vessel. 

11. These ships had guns, but they were not very serviceable, for 
they were fixed in their places, and had no carriages. In Henry 
VI.'s time, decks and bowsprits were added ; and the large ships 

is the story told by Lanrcntius' servant? 5. AVho was the real inventor of the art? 
What of Faust? 6. What was the first book printed by Faust? Who was William 
Caxton? 7, 8. What of Caxton as a printer? 9. What is black letter? 10, 11, 12. 
What is said of the ships? 



202 RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER. 1483. 

were exceedingly encumbered by a sort of wooden house, or castle, 
at each end. 

12. They were much ornamented with gilding and painting; and 
armorial bearings and badges were embroidered on the sails. The 
vessels in which Henry V. sailed to France just before the battle of 
Agincourt had purple sails, embroidered with gold. 



CHAPTER CXIT. 

Richard, Duke of Gloucester. — He aspires to wear the Crown. — Seizes 
tipon the young King, Edward V., whose Mother flies to a Sanc- 
tuary. 

1. We have now come to the shortest reign and most pathetic 
story in English history. Edward left two sons, the elder of whom, 
about thirteen years old, was proclaimed king by the title of Edward 
V. Though the public generally acknowledged his title, there was, 
among his nearest relations, one who had long marked the innocent 
boy for destruction. 

2. This person was his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester. The 
ability, vigor of mind, and j^ersonal courage of this prince have never 
been disputed. But with regard to his moral character there has 
been great difference of opinion ; some writers having loaded his 
memory with more crimes than it seems possible for any one man 
to have committed ; while others have endeavored to vindicate him 
from most of the guilt of which he has been accused. 

3. There has been the same difference of opinion as to his personal 
appearance. One old chronicler says, " He was crooked-backed, 
hook-shouldered, splay-footed, goggle-eyed, and his face was little 
and swarthy." On the other side, an old lady, Desmond, who lived 
to be 130 years old, and had danced with King Richard in her 
youth, used always to say that he was a very handsome man. 

4. The truth probably lies between the two ; and those are doubt- 
less correct who tell us that, though his features were rather homely, 
the expression of his countenance was i>rincely and sensible ; that 
his figure, though short, was well built, with no other defect than 
that his right shoulder was somewhat higher than the left. 

5. Ricliard had long entertained the project of usurping the crown, 
and he now made use of the jealousy which the nobles felt of the 
queen and her relatives, to advance his plan. The young king had 
been intrusted to the care of his uncle. Lord Rivers, and his half- 
brother, Lord Gray. 

6. Richard's first step was to remove these noblemen from about the 
person of Edward. In this he was willingly assisted by Lord Hast- 
ings, a loyal and honest man, but one who bore a bitter enmity to the 
queen and her relatives. Accompanied by Hastings, Richard set out 

CXII.— 1. Who succeeded Edward IV.? 2,3,4. Wliat of Richard, Duke of Glonces- 



RICHARD APPOINTED PROTECTOR. 1483. 203 

with a numerous train to meet the king, who was on his way to 
London to be crowned. 

7. They met him and his little party at Stony Stratford, where 
the Lords Gray and Rivers passed the evening with the Duke of 
Gloucester in mirth and pleasantry, unsuspicious of the coming 
evil. The next morning they were seized and sent to Pontefract, 
and all the rest of Edward's attendants were dismissed, and for- 
bidden to come near the court on pain of death. 

8. The poor young king, finding himself alone and in the power 
of his uncle, whom he had early been taught to dread, was struck 
with grief and terror; but Gloucester, falling on his knees, assured 
him, with strong professions of loyalty and affection, that all he had 
done was for his preservation. 

9. Edward, being soothed into composure, set off with his uncle 
towards London, where the news of these violent measures arrived 
before them, and occasioned great alarm. The queen instantly fled 
into the sanctuary at Westminster, taking with her the Duke of 
York and her five daughters. Rotherham, Archbishop of York, a 
faithful servant of the crown, hastened to comfort her. Her con- 
dition is thus described by an old chronicler: 

10. " The archbishop found about the queen much heaviness, 
rumble, haste and business; carriage and conveyance of her stuffe 
into sanctuarie; chests, coffers, packs, fardles, bundles, tossed all on 
men's backs ; no man unoccupied ; some lading, some going, some 
unloading, some going for more, some breaking down the wall to 
bring in the nearest way. The queen herself sate alone low on the 
rushes, all desolate and dismaid." 



CHAPTER CXin. 

Richard III. usurps the Crown. — He causes the young King and his 
Brother to be murdered. 

1. On the 4th of May, Gloucester conducted his nephew into Lon- 
don, riding before him bareheaded, and frequently calling out to the 
people, ''Behold your king!" At a great council held two days 
after, the artful duke was appointed protector of the kingdom. To 
keep up the deception, a day was appointed for the coronation of 
the king, and the preparations were at once begun. 

2. In the mean time, those to whom Richard had imparted his 
designs upon the crown were actively employed. On the 13th of 
May, Sir Thomas Ratcliffe, one of his chief confidants, entered Pon- 
tefract with 5000 men, and, without any trial, beheaded Lord Rivers 
and Lord Gray. The death of Lord Rivers caused much lamenta- 
tion, for he was the most accomplished nobleman of his time. 

ter? 5. To what did he aspire? 6,7. How did he set about the accomplishment of his 
wish ? 9, 10. What of the queen ? 

CXIII. — 1. How did Gloucester treat his nephew? What office did he receive? 



204 



EXECUTION OF LORD HASTINGS. 



-1483. 



3. Another of his creatures, named Catesby, had endeavored to 
gain the support of Hastings; but this nobleman being found to be 
firm in his devotion to Edward's cliildren, Iiis destruction was deter- 
mined upon. On the very day tliat the lords were murdered at Pon- 
tefract, Richard summoned the council to meet in the Tower. He 
appeared to be remarkably gay and good-natured, but left the 
council-chamber as if called out upon business. 

4. He soon returned with an angry countenance, and demanded 
what those deserved who plotted against his life. Hastings replied, 
that " they should be treated as traitors." "These traitors," said 
the protector, " are the sorceress, my brother's wife, and another of 
his late friends. See to what they have reduced me by their witch- 
craft;" upon which he laid bare his withered arm. 

5. The councillors, who knew that the arm had been so from his 
birth, looked at one another with amazement; but Hastings ventured 
to defend the late king's friend. "And do you reply to me," ex- 
claimed Richard, " with your ifo and your ands ? you are yourself the 
chief traitor; and I swear I will not dine before your head be brought 
to me!" On this he struck his hand on the table, and armed men 



% \ t^ 










EXECUTION OF HASTINGS. 



rushed in, who seized Hastings, and instantly beheaded him in the 
presence of the council. 



2. What did Gloucester's partisans do? 3, 4, 5. Relate the circumstances which occurred 



RICHARD USURPS THE CROWN. 14S3. 



205 



6. Richard's next object was to get the young Duke of York into 
his power. He declared that it would be highly improper to suffer 
the duke to remain in the sanctuary, a place where thieves and 
murderers fovuid refuge. He sent to the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, who had no suspicion of his evil designs, to persuade the 
queen to surrender her young son. 

7. Although she had not heard of the bloody deed at Pontefract, 
she had begun to suspect the designs of Richard. She knew that 
her son would be taken from her by force if she refused her consent 
to his departure. Clasping him to her breast, she took leave of him 
with a shower of tears. The young king was delighted to see his 
brother, hoping long to enjoy his company. 

8. Having now both the young princes in his power, Gloucester 
began to act more openly. He employed a popular preacher to 
harangue the people in his favor ; but he met with little success. 
The Duke of Buckingham then undertook to address them. After 
describing the miseries of the last reign, and the unfitness of the 
young king to govern, he enlarged upon the virtues of the Duke of 
Gloucester. 

9. He expressed his apprehensions that the protector could not 
be prevailed upon to accept the crown, but he hoped that the people 
would take every method to persuade him to do so. He concluded 
by desiring every man to speak his real sentiments, and to declare, 
without fear, whether he would have for king the young prince, 
or the virtuous protector. 




THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER. 

10. A silence for some time ensued ; at length some of the duke's 



m the council-chamber. 6. What -was Richard's next object? How did he effect it? 
18 



206 



FATE OF THE TWO YOUNG PRINCES. 



own servants, who had slipped among the crowd, cried out, " Long 
live King Eichard !" A few of the mob joined in the cry, and the 
duke, taking advantage of the faint approbation, found means to 
induce the mayor and aldermen to accompany him to the palace 
of the protector, and to offer him the crown. 

11. Eichard pretended to be very much surprised at seeing such 
a concourse of people. When he was informed that their business 
was to offer him the crown, he declined accepting it, saying, that 
" his love of his brother's children was greater than his love of a 
crown." But he at length suffered himself to be persuaded by 
Buckingham, and declared his acceptance. 




i |l'|i 111 ,1 ll"i%5->aSiii' 

CORONATION OF RICHARD III. 



12. He was at once proclaimed king, and the same preparation 
Avhich had been made for the coronation of Edward V. served for 
that of Eichard III. It was long before the fate of the two young 
jirinces was known with certainty ; but they never were seen again. 
Some years afterwards, two persons confessed themselves to have 
been their murderers, and said that their bodies were buried at the 
foot of a staircase in the Tower. 

13. The story was not believed at the time, it being supposed 
that it was fabricated for political effect; but it was confirmed in 
an extraordinary manner two hundred years afterwards; when, in 
altering a staircase in the Tower, a chest was found buried under 
it, in which were the bones of two children, answering in size to the 
ages of Edward and his brother. Edward V. was in his thirteenth 
year when his father died, and reigned not quite three months. 



8, 9, 10. What bold step was next taken? 11. How did Richard behave when offered the 
crown? 12, 13. AVhat was the fate of the yonng princes? 



HENRY TUDOR. — 1484. 207 



CHAPTER CXIV. 

A Plot is formed for placing Henry Tudor on the Throne, which is for 
the present defeated. 

1. As soon as Eichard had obtained the crown, he sought to 
secure the future support of those who had assisted him, by bestow- 
ing upon them liberal rewards. The Duke of Buckingham, having 
the greatest claim, received the largest share of his favors. 

2. Ample as was the compensation, however, it was not enough 
to satisfy the avarice or the ambition of this nobleman, and we 
very soon find him engaged in a conspiracy to depose Richard, and 
to place Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, on the throne. In order 
to supply the defects of this prince's title, it was agreed that he 
should marry Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward IV., who, after 
her brothers, had the best right to tlie crown. 

3. Richard, whose vigilance did not suffer the tempest to gather 
unperceived, assembled an army, and then summoned Buckingham 
to attend him. This nobleman rej:>lied only by taking the field 
with some troops he had collected in Wales. With these he ad- 
vanced towards England. 

4. When he arrived near the river Severn, an extraordinary flood, 
such as had never been known before, and which was long remem- 
bered as Buckingham's flood, prevented his crossing. His Welsh 
troops, impelled partly by superstition, and partly by famine, de- 
serted him and returned home. The officers, finding themselves 
abandoned l)y their men, either fled from the country or took 
refuge in sanctuaries. 

5. Buckingham, thinking he could rely upon the fidelity of a de- 
pendent of his own, named Bannister, sought refuge in his house ; 
but this man could not resist the temptation of the large reward 
ofl'ered for his master's apprehension, and betrayed him to the 
sheriff of Shropshire, who found him in the disguise of a peasant, 
hidden in an orchard behind Bannister's house. He was taken to 
London, and there executed. 

6. Richard, whose heart seemed callous to the sufferings of others, 
was himself vulnerable in one point. Edward, his only child, died 
April 9th, 1484, and we are told that the king's grief was so excessive 
that he almost " run mad." The grief of the queen was not less 
violent, and her death, a few months afterwards, is generally ascribed 
to it, though some assert that she was poisoned by her husband. 

7. Richard now sought to gain the favor of the widowed queen 
of Edward IV. He succeeded so well as to induce her to consent 
to his own marriage with the Princess Elizabeth, although he was 
her uncle, and had murdered her two brothers and other relations. 

8. The king, notwithstanding all his spies, does not seem to have 
been aware that Richmond, who was supposed to be all the while in 

CXIV. — 1, 2. What of Buckingham? How was Richmond's title to be strengthened? 
3. What did Richard do? 4. What of Buckingham's flood? 5. What was the fate of 



208 



BATTLE OF BOSWORTH-FIELD. 1486. 



France, did in fact pass great part of his time in Wales, making 
himself friends among his countrymen ; for the Tudors were u 
Welsh family. 

9. Once he was so near being discovered by Richard's spies, that 
he escaped only by jumping out of a back window and getting 
through an opening, which is still called the king's hole. On his 
return to France he heard the report of Richard's intended mar- 
riage. He therefore hastily collected the English exiles, and a few 
French soldiers, in all about 3000 men, and landed at Milford 
Haven, August 7th, 1485. 



CHAPTER CXV. 

Batik of Bosworth-field. — Death of Richard III. — Singular Story of 
his Bedstead. 




HATTLE OF BOSWOUTH. 



1. When Richard heard how small a number of persons accom- 
panied the carl, and what a ragged, beggarly crew they were, he 
despised so weak an enemy. But when he found that his numbers 
were flist increasing, and that some Welsh troops, who were sent 
against him, actually joined him, he began to think the danger 
more urgent. He might still have quelled it, had he known in 
whom to confide. 

2. The chief agents in his wicked schemes were Eatcliffe, Catesby, 



JJiicUingliam? 6. What domestic misfurtune befell Richard? 8,9. Where was Rich- 
mond all this time? 
CXV. — 1. What is said of Richard's feelings when he heard of Richmond's invasion? 



DKATH OF RICHARD. 1486. 209 

and Lovel, which gave rise to the following verses, which an old 
chronicler tells us " passed in those times for excellent wit" : 

" The Cat, the Rat, and Lovel the dog. 
Rule all England under the Hog." 

The white boar was the badge of Eichard. 

3. But Richard knew that these were not friends who could be 
relied on in time of his own need. He distrusted all around him, 
and not without reason ; for Lord Stanley, to whom he had given 
the chief command in his army, was in secret league with Rich- 
mond, whose mother he had married. 

4. Richard at length roused himself, and, collecting what troops 
he could, marched witli great pomp, wearing a crown on his helmet, 
to Merivalle, not far from Bosworth, where Richmond had arrived 
before him. On the 28d of August, 1485, the forces on both sides 
were drawn out in line of battle. 

5. Lord Stanley drew up the forces under his immediate com- 
mand, at a little distance from the rest of the king's troops. Rich- 
mond, who was no soldier, sent to request Lord Stanley to assist 
him in forming his men ; but Stanley answei'ed that he must form 
them himself, and he would come to him at a convenient season. 

6. Richard was very angry when he saw how Stanley had drawn 
up his men, but it was now too late to do more than to summon his 
immediate attendance, — a summons which was not obeyed. The 
battle began, but no vigor or spirit was displayed in the royal army ; 
and when Lord Stanley suddenly turned and attacked it, Richard 
saw that all was lost, and exclaiming, "Treason ! treason !" rushed 
into the midst of the enemy, and made his way to Richmond, hew- 
ing down all before him. 

7. The earl shrunk back at his approach ; but his attendants 
gathered round Richard, who fought like a wild beast at bay, till 
at last he fell, covered with wounds. His helmet was so beaten in 
by the blows it had received, that its form was quite destroyed. 

8. Most of the nobles had deserted the royal cause. The Duke 
of Norfolk was among the few exceptions. Some friend had tried 
to save him from his impending fate, and had that morning thrown 
an admonitory letter into his tent. It ran thus : 

"Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold, 
For Dickon, thy master, is bought and sold." 

9. Richard reigned little more than two years, and was slain in 
the thirty-fifth year of his age. He fell near a brook which runs 
through Bosworth-field, the water of which long remained stained 
with blood ; and it is said that the people in the neighborhood are 
averse to using it, even at this day. 

10. The body of Richard, after suffering many indignities, was 
at last buried in a church at Leicester. But his bones were not 
suffered to rest even here ; for at the destruction of the religious 

2. Who were hia chief agents? What verses were formed on tliem ? 4. When was the 
battle of Bosworth-field fdiight? 5. What is said of Loi'd Stanley's conduct ? 6,7. What 
of Richard's conduct in the battle? 8. What is said of the Duke of Norfolk? 9. How 

18* 



210 AMUSEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH IN OLDEN TIMES. 

houses in the time of Henry VIII., they were torn from their 
burying-phice, and his stone coffin was converted into a watering- 
trough for horses at an inn in Leicester. 

11. The story of an article of Richard's furniture is yet more ex- 
traordinary. He travelled about, as was then tlie custom, with his 
own bedstead. Wlien he was killed at Bosworth, this was left at 
the place he had last slept at in Leicester, and was kept by the 
l)eople of the house. It was entirely of wood, and was much gilded 
and otherwise ornamented. 

12. About one hundred years after the battle, as the woman to 
whom it then belonged was one day making the bed, a piece of 
money fell out from a crevice of the bedstead. Upon examination 
she found that the bottom of the bedstead was hollow, and con- 
tained coin to the value of nearly fifteen hundred dollars. 

13. This discovery proved fatal to the woman, for she was robbed 
and murdered by her servant for the sake of her new-found treasure. 
The servant was hanged for the murder ; and thus Richard's gold 
seemed to have the property of bringing evil upon all who touched it. 



CHAPTER CXVI. 

AmusemenU of the English in olden time. — Christmas Gambols. — 
Miracles and Mysteries. — Descrij)tion of a Gentleman's Dress. 

1. As we have had horrors enough for the present, we may now 
turn our attention to the amusements of the English, beginning 
with the children. Perhaps our young readers may toss their balls 
and trundle their hoops with more glee than ever, when they know 
that the Black Prince, John of Gaunt, and perhaps even Thomas 
k Becket, and old Caxton himself, played with such things hun- 
dreds of years since ; for these games were in use as long ago as the 
Conquest. 

2. Shuttlecock and blind-man's-buff" are also very ancient games. 
But there were some old amusements which were not so unexcep- 
tionable. There was a strange ceremony observed in most, if not 
all, the cathedrals, on the 28th of December, called Innocents' Day, 
in remembrance of the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem by 
order of Herod. 

3. A boy was dressed uj) in the vestments of the bishop. He was 
attended by a parcel of other boys habited like priests, and in this guise 
he preached a mock sermon in church, and then went in procession 
about the town. This was called the festival of the boy-bishop. 

4. But the love of sports and merry-making was not confined to the 
young. Those who were older, having but little mental cultivation, 

long did Richanl rt'igii? How old was he at his deatli? ID. Wliut is said of his body? 
11, 12. Relate tliR story of his bedstead. 
CXVI. — 1,2. What were the amusements of the children? What ceremony on In- 



AMUSEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH IN OLDEN TIMES. 211 

had so few sedentary amusements that they were glad to fly to 
active and boisterous ones. Even the fine ladies did not then dis- 
dain to seek diversion from things that in our times the most coarse 
and vulgar would shun with aversion. 




5. Leaving out hawking, which was a favorite pastime of the gen- 
try, we may notice bear-baitings and bull-baitings, which consisted in 
worrying a poor bear or bull with savage dogs. These, however, were 
used only on great occasions, and to entertain queens and princesses. 
Cudgel-playing and wrestling were the every-day amusements. 

6. Christmas was the chief time of sports; in the king's court, 
and in the families of the principal nobles, a leader of the games 
was elected, who had the pleasant title of Lord of Misrule, and 
Master of Merry Sports. The diversions over which this mock- 
monarch presided were suited to the taste of the age. 

7. There was a scrambling for nuts and apples, dancing, playing 
with hobby horses, hunting owls and squirrels, hot cockles, and 
blind-man's-buff. Then there was a stick moving on a pivot in the 
middle, with an apple at one end and a candle at the other, so that 
he who missed his bite, burned his nose. 

8. The favorite amusement, however, at this season, was Mum- 
ming, or Disguising. At court this was performed with great splen- 
dor, and rich costumes; but among the common people the diversion 



nocents' Day? 4,5. What were the aniusenients of older people? 6. Who managed 
the Christmas sports? 7. What wore the sports? 8. What was the favorite amuse- 



212 DRESS OF AN OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN. 

consisted in changing clothes between men and women, who, when 
dressed in each other's habits, went from one neighbor's house to 
another, partaking of Christmas cheer. This custom is still kept 
up in some parts of England, particularly in the northern counties. 

9. The origin of stage-plays was curious. There were theatrical 
entertainments long before there were any play-houses or theatres. 
The first public representation of anything like a play was exhibited 
as early as 1378, and was called a Mirac/e. It was the history of 
St. Catharine, and was performed by the priests of Dunstable. 

10. The actors were attired in the holy vestments belonging to 
the Abbey of St. Albans. In Richard II.'s reign, the clergy of St. 
Paul's Church enacted a miracle before the king and queen, which 
lasted eight days, and in which was represented the greater part of 
the Bible history. 

11. Miracles were succeeded by Mysteries, in which sacred sub- 
jects were strangely jumbled witli buffoonery. By degrees some 
little moral allegory crept into these entertainments, and miracles and 
mysteries gave way to Moralities, which consisted of long, elaborate 
S2)ceches from allegorical personages, such as Theology, Adulation, 
Admonition, &c. 

12. These plays were performed in churches and chapels, and the 
actors were almost always ecclesiastics. There were, besides, some 
secular ijlays performed in private houses, and in the streets, by the 
jugglers, tumblers, and jesters, whose business it was to rove about 
and exhibit their talents. There is no mention of public theatres 
till the reign of Elizabeth. The first regular play we know of was 
written about 1560, and is called " Gammer Gurton's Needle." 

13. So much for the amusements; now for the dress of the old 
English gentlemen. We left them some time ago wearing long, 
pointed shoes. Never was fashion attacked with more violence. 
Laws were made, and the clergy preached, against them. Still 
they continued to be worn to the time of Richard III., after which 
the fashion declined, and the contrary extreme became the mode. 

14. All the fine gentlemen looked now as if they had the gout; 
for they wore velvet or cloth shoes, so very broad that their feet 
resembled platters ; and a law was made forbidding shoes to be 
worn that were more than six inches across the toes. The dress of 
the men at this period is described as being so "skrimp" and tight, 
that fashionable persons must have resembled stuffed figures more 
than living men. 

15. Their shoulders were stuffed out to make them look broad, 
and the waist was pinched in as tight as could be borne. Oddity 
was aimed at more than comfort or gracefulness. With a tight 
jjinched-iu jacket, which was not much longer than a Avaistcoat, 
such enormous long sleeves were worn, hanging from the elbows, 
that Edward IV. used to tie his behind his back, to avoid tumbling 
over them when he walked ! 



ment? 9, 10, 11. Mention the different kinds of stage-plays. 12. Where were they 
performed? What was the first regular play? 13,14. Describe the dress of a gentle- 
man. 



END OF THE LINE OF PLANTAGENET. 1485. 



213 



CHAPTER CXVII. 

End of the Line of Plantagenet. — General Character of the Kings. — 
Important Consequences of the Battle of Bosworth-field. — Depression 
of the Nobles. — Rise of the Commons. 




CROW>'ING OF RICHMOND, HENRY VII. 

1. King Richard was the last man shiin on the field of Bosworth, 
and his death was the signal of victory to Henry of Richmond. The 
soldiers who had engaged in the pursuit of the fugitives were re- 
called by hearing the shouts of " Long live King Henry !" and on 
returning to the field of battle, they saw Sir William Stanley, 
brother to Lord Stanley, placing on Henry's head the battered 
ci'own that had been struck off" from the helmet of Richard. 

2. With Richard ended the line of Plantagenet kings, who had 
governed England for 330 years. There were fourteen in all ; Heniy 
II. and thirteen of his descendants. Five of these, John, Plenry 
III., Edward II., Richard II., and Henry VI., were feeble monarchs. 
The rest inherited the abilities and bravery of their great ancestor, 
and, with the exception of Henry IV., who was of a close and sus- 
picious temper, had a frankness and openness of disposition which 
endeared them to their subjects. 



CXVII.— 1. What was the fate of Richard III.? 2. Who succeeded him? How long 
had the Plantageuets reigned? What is said of the several kings? 3. What two bat- 



214 CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 1485. 

3. No battle since that of Hastings had been so important in its 
consequences as that of Bosworth-field. The former brought in the 
feudal system in its most oppressive form ; the battle of Bosworth 
put an end to it. The reign of Henry VII. was the dawn of what 
may properly be called English liberty. 

4. Though the Magna Charta had "fenced in the nobles from the 
tyranny of the king, yet the great mass of the people were for a long 
time after as much exposed as before to the o])pression of the nobles ; 
but now, the power as well as the number of the nobles being much 
diminished by the long war between the houses of York and Lan- 
caster, the people began gradually to emerge from slavery. 

0. Henry hated because he feared the nobles, and it was a part 
of his policy to depress them. He restricted the number of their 
retainers ; and thus that idle race of people who had before passed 
their lives in following some great lord to the ^'ars, or in hanging 
about his gates in time of peace, were driven to employ themselves 
in more industrious modes of life, and from helpless dependants 
became useful subjects. 

6. Commerce, too, began to make great alteration in the condition 
of persons in middle life ; and Henry greatly facilitated their rise 
into consequence, by lessening the strictness of entails, — that is, the 
descent of estates in one family, from one generation to another, 
without any person being at liberty to dispose of them. 

7. Such a system serves to maintain the dignity of particular 
families, but is evidently adverse to the general good of the state. 
The nobles being enabled to sell their estates, many of them came 
into the possession of rich merchants and manufacturers. 

8. With the change of property came a great change in the condi- 
tion of all classes of people. The land-owners found it advantageous to 
commute the services of the villeins for money, and make them pay rent 
for their land and cottages ; and thus from villeins they became tenants. 

9. It is very difficult to trace every step of the lower orders of the 
people from villeinage, which at some periods was a state of mere 
slavery, to freedom. The progress was so various and so gradual 
that the state of villeinage seemed to decline insensibly, and after 
the time of Henry VII. we find no more mention of it. 

TABLE OF THE LINE OF PLANTAGENET. 

Began to reign. Reigned. 

1164 . . ;-!5 years. Henry II. Plantagenef. 

1189 . . 10 " Richard I. Coeur de Lion, ) „ ,„ tt 

1I.U1 1" <i T u T 1 I 1 • bons of Henry II. 

1199 . . 17 " John Lackland, J •' 

121 (> . . 66 " Henry IIL, son of John. 

1272 . . :15 " Edward I., son of Henry III. 

1307 . . 20 " Edward II.. son of Edward I. 

1327 . . 60 " Edward III., son of Edward II. 

1377 . . 22 " Richard II., son of the Black Prince, and grandson 

of Edward III. 

ties are mentioned as important? 4. What is said of the condition of the mass of the 
people? 5. What was Henry's policy towards the nohles? 6. What of entails? 8. 
What of the villeins? 



HENRY VII. — 14S5. 



215 



THE LANCASTER BRANCH OF THE FAMILY. 



Began to reign. Reigned. 

1399 . . 14 years. 



Ul.'^ 
1422 



1461 



14S3 
1483 



9 
49 



Henry IV., of Lancaster, cousin to Richard II. 

and grandson of Edward III. 
Henry V., son of Henry IV. 
Henry VI., son of Henry V. 

THE YORK BRANCH OF THE FAMILY. 

22 years. Edward IV., of York, third cousin to Henry VI. 
and great-great-grandson of Edward III. 
3 m'ths. Edward V., son of Edward IV. 
2 years. Richard III., Crook-back, uncle of Edward V. 



CHAPTER CXVIII. 

Henry VII. — Lambert S'lmnel pretends to be Earl of Wanvick, and 
claims the Throne.— He is defeated and made a Scullion in the King's 
Kitchen. — Death of Lord Lovel in a secret Chamber. 




MARRIAGE OF HENRY VII. 

1. Henry VH., the first of that line of kings of England called 
the Tudor line, was thirty years old when he gained the crown. 
He was of a tall and slender form, pale comjdexion, and a grave, 
sedate deportment. Cold, cautious, and designing, he did not pos- 
sess one amiable quality. 

2. His natural abilities were not brilliant, but he made up for 
want of quickness by unwearied application, and was rewarded for 



CXVIII. — 1, 2. What is said of the character of Henry VII.? What were his ruling 



216 DEFEAT OF SIMNEL. 14S7. 

his perseverance by gaining a reputation for more wisdom than he 
possessed. He was an unkind husband, a careful but not an affec- 
tionate father, a rigorous master, and a bitter enemy. 

3. Two ruling passions swayed his conduct from the first hour 
of his reign to the end of his life ; these were his avarice, and his 
hatred of the house of York. The first command he issued, even 
before he had left the bloody field where he had been proclaimed 
king, was, that persons should be sent into Yorkshire to seize young 
Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick, son of the Duke of Clarence. 

4. Henry's avarice, though an odious vice in itself, and particu- 
larly obnoxious in a king, was not without its advantages to his 
country. It led him to encourage commerce ; and it was he who 
laid the foundations of the British navy. A four-masted ship, 
called The Great Henry, was, properly speaking, the first ship in the 
British navy, for hitherto, when the king wanted a fleet, he had no 
expedient but hiring or purchasing ships from the merchants. 

5. Notwithstanding his dislike to the family of York, Henry soon 
found that he could not maintain himself on the throne without ally- 
ing himself to it. He therefore renewed his old agreement to marry 
the Princess Elizabeth. But liis reluctance to this union was so 
great, that he \y\it it off till the following year. The princess was a 
great favorite with the people, which gave much offence to her 
husband, and was one cause of his unkind treatment of her. 

6. Henry's conduct towards all those who had been connected 
with the late royal family naturally irritated them against him, and 
in 1487, a scheme was contrived, which gave him for a time much 
vexation and trouble. Lambert Sininel, the son of a baker of 
Oxford, was instructed to personate the young Earl of Warwick, 
who, it was pretended, had escaped from the Tower. 

7. When Henry heard of this mock Earl of Warwick, he caused 
the real earl to be taken from his 2:)rison, and can-ied in procession 
through London, and permitted all who chose to converse with 
him. This measure, though it satisfied the people of England, did 
not convince those of Ireland, by whom Simnel was proclaimed 
king, by the title of Edward IV. 

8. Simnel, with the few nobles who joined him, and some troops 
which he had raised in Ireland, landed in Lancashire, expecting to 
be joined by the inhabitants; but in this he was disappointed. He 
had advanced as far as Stoke without receiving any addition to his 
forces, where he was met by Henry, June 16th, 1847, and com- 
pletely defeated. Simnel, who was taken prisoner, received better 
treatment than he could have expected, for Henry contented him- 
self with degrading the new-made king to be one of the scullions in 
his kitchen. 

9. Most of Simnel's army lost their lives. Among the few who 
escaped from the fight was Lord Lovel. He was observed flying 
towards the Trent, and, as he was never seen afterwards, he was 
thought to have been drowned in crossing that river. 

passions? 4. What good effect diclliis avarice produce? 5. Howdid he try to strnnirtheu 
himsell' on the tlirone? 6, 7, S. Relate tlie story of Lambert Simnel. 9, 1(1. Relate tfie 
fate of Lord Lovel. 11, 12. What is said of secret chambers? 



STORY OF PERKIN WARBECK. 1492. 217 

10. But more than a hundred years afterwards, in pulling down 
a house that had belonged to him in Oxfordshire, a secret chamber 
was discovered, in which was found the skeleton of a man, seated 
in a chair, with his head reclining on a table. An empty jar and 
a barrel were found near it. It was conjectured that this was the 
skeleton of Lord Lovel, who had contrived to escape to his own 
house, but from some neglect had starved to death in this secret 
chamber. 

11. It would be a hard matter to make a chamber in a modern 
house, in which a person could be effectually concealed ; but in those 
days the walls were thick, and the chimneys large, and the unquiet 
state of the times made secret chambers useful, if not necessary. 

12. Many a large old house in England doubtless contains such a 
sanctuary. We are told of one in Nottinghamshire, which was in- 
habited by a family for some generations, Avithout its being known 
that there was a secret room ixa the kitchen chimney; and it was 
only discovered a few years since, in making some repairs. 



CHAPTER CXIX. 

A new Impostor appears. — Adventures of PerJdn Warbecl-. 

1. The old Duchess of Burgundy, sister of Edward IV., finding 
how many people had been deceived by the fraud of Simnel, deter- 
mined upon a new project, contrived with more art and plausibility. 
She first spread a report that the young Duke of York was alive, 
and had escaped from the Tower. 

2. She then found a youth, named Perkin Warbeck, son of a 
Flemish Jew, who bore a strong resemblance to the Plantagenets, 
and who liad something in his manners and carriage so bewitching, 
and at the same time so princely and dignified, that all who con- 
versed with him were fascinated, and persuaded that he was a prince. 

3. He first presented himself at tlie court of France, where he 
was well received by the king. At the demand of Henry, he was 
dismissed, but with courtesy, and then sought the protection of his 
aunt, as he called the Duchess of Burgundy. 

4. She received him as if he had been an entire stranger to her, 
and affected to disbelieve his story ; then, as if suddenly convinced 
by his answers to her questions, she embraced him with a transport 
of joy, exclaiming that he was indeed her long-lost nephew, and be- 
stowed upon him the appellation of the White Rose of England. 

5. Henry now became anxious to convince the world that the real 
Duke of York had been murdered, and he obtained the confession 
of two persons, who owned that they had been concerned in putting 

CXIX.—]. What pi-oject did the Duchess of Burgundy form? 2. Who was selected 
as the principal actor? 3,4. What was the success of Warbeck at first? 5,6. What 

19 



218 STORY OF PERKIN WARBECK. 149B. 

him to death. But these confessions gained little credit at the time, 
though they have since received corroboration, as we have before 
stated. 

6. Henry also sought to ascertain the true history of Warbeck ; 
but the secret was so well kept, and his origin so obscure, that this 
proved to be a difficult matter. At length one of the confidants of 
the impostor was won over. From him Henry learnt nearly the 
whole history of the conspiracy, with the names of all those in Eng- 
land who had favored it. 

7. The former was published for the information of the nation, 
and those concerned were all seized in one day, and immediately 
tried, condemned, and executed. Sir William Stanley was be- 
headed for having been heard to say, that, "if he was sure Perkin 
Warbeck was the real Duke of York, he would never bear arms 
against him." 

8. After two ineffectual attempts to get a footing in England, 
Warbeck went to Scotland, where he was received with the utmost 
kindness by King James IV., who engaged in his cause with tlie 
greatest warmth. He also gave him in marriage the Lady Catha- 
rine Gordon, one of the most noble and accomplished ladies of 
the age. 

9. James did not content himself with empty words, and in Oc- 
tober, 1496, he entered England with an army, with the avowed 
purpose of placing Warbeck on the throne, and all the English 
were invited to repair to the standard of their rightful sovereign," 
who was proclaimed king by the title of Richard IV. 

10. The Scots immediately began to plunder, as was their cus- 
tom, and Warbeck expostulated with James on this barbarous 
manner of carrying on the war, declaring that he had rather lose 
a crown than obtain it by the ruin of his subjects. 

11. It was exjiected that ui)on Warbeck's first appearance in 
England all the friends of the house of York would rise in his 
favor; but, contrary to his anticipations, he found none to assist 
him, and was obliged to retreat towards Edinburgh. Henry, who 
was at all times a better negotiator than soldier, preferred entering 
into a treaty with James to meeting him in the field, and a truce 
was made between the two monarchs. 



CHAPTER CXX. 

Conclusion of the Story of Perkin Warbeck. — About Benevolences. — 
Storij of the Alderman 7vho refused to lend the King Moneij. 

1. In consequence of the treaty between tlie kings of Scotland 
and England, Warbeck, after thanking James for tlie kindness and 
protection he had aflbrded him, went to Ireland, with about a hun- 

measures did Henry VII. adopt? 8. How was AVarbeck received in Scotland? 11. 
What was Warbeck's success in England ? 



EXECUTION OF PERKIN WARBECK. — 1499. 



219 



dred and twenty followers, and his lovely wife, who would not for- 
sake him. 

2. After a few months he returned to England, and was joined 
by about three thousand men, with whom he laid siege to Exeter. 
A large body of the king's forces marched against him, and War- 
beck, seeing that all resistance would be in vain, left his companions 
to take care of themselves as they could, and fled in the night to a 
sanctuary. 

3. This was soon surrounded by the royal troops, and Henry 
would gladly have forced open the gates and seized his victim, but 
was persuaded to try to entice him out by the promise of sparing 
his life. Warbeck, on receiving this pledge, gave himself up, and 
was carried prisoner to the Tower. 

4. He contrived to make his escape from this prison, but was 
soon taken and brought back. He was then exposed upon a scaf- 
fold, and compelled to read aloud a written paper, in which he 
confessed himself to be an impostor. 

5. He afterwards found means to have some communication with 
his fellow-prisoner, the Earl of Warwick, and a plan was concerted 
between them for their escape; but this being discovered, they 
were both executed. Perkin Warbeck was hung at Tyburn, the 
place of execution for common malefactors, November 23d, 1499 ; 
whilst Warwick, from respect to his undoubted rank, was beheaded 
on Tower Hill. 




PEKKIN WAKBECK ON THE SCAFFOLD. 

6. It is interesting to read of the fate of Warbeck's young and 
beautiful wife. After her husband was carried to the Tower, Henry 



CXX.— 1. Whither did Warbeck go from Scotland? Who accompanied liim ? 2, 3, 4, 
5. Relate the rest of liis story. What was the fate of Warbeck? 6, 7. Wliat became of 



220 STORY OF THE ALDERMAN. 

sent for her, and, hard as was his heart, he seems to have been touched 
by her youth, her beauty, and her grief; for she dearly loved War- 
beck, and was a most dutiful and affectionate wife to him. 

7. The king said some kind and soothing words to her, and pre- 
sented her to the queen, with whom she remained as an attendant. 
She had an ample allowance made to her, and was much beloved at 
the coui't, where she was called "The White Rose of England." 

8. Henry, from this time till his death, was undisturbed by tumults 
at home or by wars abroad. He was chiefly employed in amassing 
wealth, which he did in every possible way. He made many arbi- 
trary and vexatious laws, and obliged those who violated them in 
the slightest particular to pay heavy fines, or suffer imprisonment. 

9. These rapacious schemes were carried on ])y the assistance of 
two lawyers, named Em23son and Dudley, whom he employed to 
entrap the rich and unwary. He also had increased his wealth by 
means of taxes and benevolences. 

10. A benevolence meant originally a voluntary contribution for the 
king's expenses, made amongst his immediate vassals. Edward IV. 
extended it to the whole kingdom, and, though the name implies its 
being a free gift, it became, in tact, a very arbitrary tax, for the 
king could quarter soldiers on those who refused to contribute, and 
could annoy them in many other ways, which caused the people to 
call these benevolences malevolences. 

11. You will think this name not unmerited, when you read of 
what happened to an alderman of London in Henry VIII.'s time. 
The poor alderman, because he refused to contribute to a benevo- 
lence, was compelled to serve as a private soldier in the war then 
carrying on against Scotland. 

12. The king sent a letter to the general of the army, command- 
ing that the alderman should be lodged among the common sol- 
diers, and be made to ride forth in all difiicult and dangerous 
enterprises. His sufierings in this mode were not of very long con- 
tinuance, for he was taken prisoner in the first engagement, and 
had to pay a much larger sum for his ransom than he had been 
required to contribute to the benevolence. 



CHAPTER CXXI. 

The Architecture of Henry VII.' s time. — Of his Voyages of Discovery. 
— Columbus and the Cabots. 

1. By confiscations of the property of those concerned in the vari- 
ous conspiracies, by taxes, benevolences, and fines, Henry VII. ac- 

Warlieck's wife? 8. What is said of the rest of Henry's reign? 9. Who assisted the 
king in iiis schemes to obtain money ? 10. Wliat is said of bmevolencesf 11, 12. Relate 
tlie stnrv of the alderman. 
CXXi.— 1. What feeling was strong enough to overcome Henry's avarice ? How did 



ARCHITECTURE OF HENRY VII. S TIME. 1485-1509. 



221 



quired immense wealth, not only in money, but also in plate and 
jewels. He kejjt it, with the most anxious care, under his own lock 
and key, in secret apartments in the palace at Richmond. 




STILE OF ARLHIIECTUEE AT THE TIME OF HENRY \ II. 

2. There was one feeling which was strong enough to overcome 
his avarice ; this was the ambition of having a splendid tomb. With 
this view, he commenced the building of what is now known as Henry 
VII. 's Chapel, at Westminster Abbey. The best architects of the 
age were called ujjon to furnish designs for this magnificent building, 
on which the king did not grudge to expend large sums of his hoarded 
wealth. It is still one of the most beautiful edifices in England. 

3. There arose at this time a remarkable change in the style of 
architecture, through the introduction of what has been called the 
florid style, but which might with much propriety be styled the 

Tudor style, since it came in with Henry VII. and went out with his 
granddaughter Elizabeth, the last of the Tudors. 

4. All the buildings of this kind are vei'y beautiful, and are suffi- 
ciently distinguished from the Gofhic jiiles of the Plantagenets, and 
massy buildings of the Anglo-Normans, by the flat arch, called 
Henry the Seventh's arch, and the profusion of ornament with 
which every part is loaded. 

5. We have already stated that Henry gave great encouragement 
to commerce. By this means he had acquired in foreign countries 
the reputation of being the most sagacious, as well as the wealthiest, 
monarch of his time. When Columbus failed in his endeavors to 



he gratify Uie feeling? 3, 4. What change took place in the style of architecture? 6, 6, 
19 * 



222 COLUMBUS AND THE OABOTS. 1491). 

obtain assistance in Spain, in order to enable him to prosecute his 
voyage in search of land, which he felt convinced he should reach 
by sailing westward, he determined to apply to Henry. 

6. Accordingly, he sent his brother Bartholomew to England for 
this purpose ; but he unfortunately was taken by pirates on the way, 
and detained by them for four years. At last, in 1489, he made his 
escape and got to England, but in too destitute a condition to be 
able to present himself to the king. 

7. His industry and activity of mind soon furnished him with a 
resource. He set himself to work to make maps and sea-charts, and 
finding a ready sale for them, he was able to purchase some decent 
clothes, with which to appear at court. Presenting one of his maps 
to the king, he requested an audience, which being granted, he ex- 
plained to him all his brother's views and wishes. 

8. Henry was so much struck with their feasibility, that he agreed 
to give Columbus the assistance he desired, and Bartholomew was 
sent to invite him to England. But before he arrived in Spain, Co- 
lumbus had already sailed on his first voyage, under the patronage 
of Queen Isabella. 

9. Henry did not abandon the idea of making discoveries ; for, in 
1496, after Columbus had returned to Europe, with the account of 
what he had seen, Henry fitted out a small ileet, and sent it on a 
voyage of discovery, under the command of John Cabot, a Venetian 
merchant. 

10. Cabot sailed in a northwest direction, and the first land he 
saw was what we call Newfoundland, but which he called Prima 

Vista (first seen) ; he next saw the Island of St. John's, and sailed 
to the south as far as Virginia, and then returned to England, where 
the king received him with great honor. 

11. Cabot was in fact the first discoverer of the continent of 
America ; for Columbus, who certainly deserves all the honor of the 
discovery, since he pointed out the way to it, had not, at the time 
of Cabol's first voyage, seen any part of America, except some of 
the islands. 

12. John Cabot had a son, named Sebastian, who was a greater 
navigator than his father. He accompanied him in his voyage to 
America, and, in the reign of Henry VIII., was employed on many 
important occasions, and became highly celebrated in his vocation. 
His merit and knowledge procured him great consideration in Eng- 
land. 

7, 8. Relate the particulars of Columbus' appluation to Henry. 9, 10. What is said of 
John Caliat? 11. What continent did he discover? Why is Cohnnbus entitled to the 
most credit? 12. What is said of Sebastian Cabot? 



DEATH OF HENRY VII. 1509. 



223 



CHAPTER CXXII. 

DeMfh of Henry VII.—The Star Chamber. 





T|". -3 



ipilliiflifsii 



^r rs^i 



qjf ;-■■■: lii;. \v^ 






iiii 




THE STAK CHAMBER. 

1. In 1500, the king's eldest daughter, Margaret, married James 
IV. of 8cothind, and it was from this marriage that the Stuarts de- 
rived their title to the crown of England. In 1501, his eldest son, 
Arthur, married Catharine of Anjou, daughter of Ferdinand and 
Isabella, the King and Queen of Spain ; but in the following spring 
the young prince died, and Henry, unwilling to lose the marriage 
portion of the Spanish princess, married her to his other son, 
Henry, a boy of eleven years. 

2. A new means of increasing his wealth now offered itself to 
Henry; this was by marrying an heiress; for his wife, the Princess 
Elizabeth, was dead. The Queen of Naples was reputed to be im- 
mensely rich, and he accordingly made proposals to her. But 
before the final arrangements had been made, he ascertained that he 
had been deceived in regard to her wealth, and withdrew his offer. 

3. A violent attack of the gout gave Henry warning that all his 
schemes of revenge, avarice, and ambition would soon be brought 
to a close. He now devoted the remnant of his life to prepara- 
tions for the awful change he had to expect; but even his dying 
acts were tinctured by that calculating, money-loving spirit which 
had governed his life. 



CXXII. — 1. When and to whom was the king's eldest daughter married? What is said 



224 HENRY VIII. 1509. 

4. Amongst other things, he ordered that two thousand prayers 
should be said for him, tor which no more than sixpence apiece 
was to be paid. One or two of his bequests, however, show some- 
thing like a conscience. He ordered that restitution should be 
made to those persons from whom Empson and Dudley had ex- 
torted more than the law would warrant. 

5. He also ordered the debts to be paid of all persons who were 
imprisoned in London for sums under forty shillings. He died on 
the 21st of April, 1509, in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, and 
the fifty-fourth of his age. 

6. Though the reign of Henry VII. was on the whole favorable to 
liberty, there was one institution of his which proved, as we shallsee 
in the course of our history, an instrument of the greatest oppression. 
This was the Star Chamber, an arbitrary court of law, in which the 
king used to attend in person as judge. It was called the Star Cham- 
ber, from the decorations of the room in which the sessions were held. 

FAMILY OF HENRY VII. 
WIFE. 
Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV. 

SONS. 
Arthur, who was espoused to Catharine of Anjou, and died before his father. 
Henry, who succeeded his father on the throne. 

DAUGHTERS. 
Margaret, married to James IV., of Scotland, and afterwards to Douglas, Earl 

of Angus. 
Mary, married first to Louis XII., of France; afterwards to the Duke of 
Suffolk. 

C4RANDCIIILDREN. 

Edward VI., ] 

Mary, > Children of Henry VIII. 

Elizabeth, J 

.James V., of Scotland, father of Mary, Queen of Scots, "j Children 

Margaret Douglas, mother of Henry Darnley, and of Charles \ of 

Stuart, father of Lady Arabella Stuart, J Margaret. 

Margaret Brandon, daughter of Mary, and the mother of Lady Jane Grey. 



CHAPTER CXXIII. 

Henry VIII. — Happy Circumstances under which he came to the 
Thro)ie. — -Rise of Wakey. 

1. There was great joy in England at the accession of Henry 
VIII. ; for his father had incurred the hatred of the pco2:)le by his jeal- 
ousy, his severity, and his avarice. The new king was only eighteen 

of the marriage of his sons ? 2. What of his own marriage ? 5. When did he die ? What 
was the length of his reign ? What his age? 



CARDINAL WOLSEY. — 1509. 



225 



years old, but he gave the most promising hopes of making a good 
sovereign, by the progress he had made in liis literary studies; for 
he had received what was then thought a good education, and had 
more learning than most princes of his time. 

2. He was distinguished for the strength and beauty of his per- 
son, and for his skill in all athletic exercises. His complexion was 
fresh and ruddy, and the animation of his manner appeared to 
great advantage, after the gloom and reserve of the late king. 

3. The contending titles of York and Lancaster were united in 
his person ; his father had left him an enormous treasure, and the 
country was free from foreign and from domestic wars. In short, 

^'HO king of England ever began to reign under more prosperous 
'-circumstances. But though free from all external foes, he had one 
implacable enemy that pursued him from the earliest to the latest 
hour of his life, and that enemy was his own violent temper. 

4. The naturally lavish disposition of the young king made him 
yield readily to the influence of the Earl of Surrey, who sought to 
engage him in such a course of amusements as might make him 
negligent of public business, and willing to trust the affairs of state 
entirely to his ministers. 



MsgrnA. 







CARDINAL WOLSE^i. 



5. The hoarded wealth of Henry VII. was rapidly squandered in 
tournaments and other expensive entertainments, to the great grief 
of his son's careful counsellor, Fox, Bishop of Winchester, who, 
finding remonstrances unavailing, introduced at court Thomas 
Wolsey, who had already shown himself to be a very shrewd and 
dexterous man, by whose assistance he hoped to counteract the 



CXXIII.— 1, 2. W)iat is said of Henry VIII.'s character? 3. Under what circumstances 
did he ascend the throne? 4, 5. What is said of his early conduct? How did Fox try to 



226 CARDINAL WOLSKY. 1509-1612. 

influence of Surrey and to resti'ain the follies of the youtkful 
king. 

6. Wolsey, who for a time acted a more important part in the 
affairs of the world than even his master, was the son of a butcher 
at Ipswich. The great abilities and the fondness for study which 
he showed in his childliood, led to his being sent to the University 
of Oxford, where he took his lirst degree at so early an age as to be 
called the boy bachelor. 

7. Having filled various stations with great reputation, he came 
at last to be made one of the king's chaplains. His merit was not 
long overlooked by Henry VIIL, who, having occasion to send to 
the Emperor of Germany upon a matter that required despatch, as 
well as adroitness, selected Wolsey for the oflice. 

8. The latter, having received his instructions, set off on his 
journey, and made such haste, that he was back again on the 
third day, and presented himself at court. The king, who was not 
used to such despatch in his courtiers, blamed him for not being 
yet gone, since the matter required haste; to which Wolsey replied 
by presenting him with the emperor's answer. 

9. The king wondered much at his sjieed, but then asked him if 
he had met a messenger, who had been sent after him to inform 
him of a special matter which had been forgotten in his instructions. 

10. To which Wolsey answered, " May it please your grace, I 
met him yesterday by the way, but that matter I had attended 
to before, taking the boldness to do it without authority, as know- 
ing it to be of special consequence; for which boldness I humbly 
entreat your grace's pardon." The king not only pardoned him, 
but bestowed upon him a lucrative oflice. 

11. Wolsey soon acquired an unbounded influence over Henry 
VIIL ; but he made a very different use of it from what Bishop 
Fox had intended; for he employed only it to encourage the king's 
follies and to promote his own advancement. He was soon made 
Archbishop of York, and chancellor. 

12. The ignorant of all ranks attributed this influence to witch- 
craft, but more discerning men perceived that flattery was the art 
which Wolsey used. He affected to look up to Henry as the wisest 
of mortals. He promoted his amusements, and joined in them 
with the gayety of youth ; thus, making himself agreeable as well 
as useful, he ruled for ten years, with absolute sway, one of the most 
capricious and passionate of men. 

counteract the infliipiice of Surre}'? 6. Who was AVoIses' ? What of his early life? 8, 
9, 10. What anocflote is related of his skill in business? 11, 12. What of his influence 
with Henry VIII.? 



MORE ABOUT CARDINAL WOLSEY. 227 



CHAPTER CXXIV. 

More about Cardinal Wokei/. — Untoward Accident which befell a Dig- 
nitary of the Church. — Wolsey and the young Nobleman. 

1. The pope, observing the great influence which Wolsey had 
with the king, was desirous of engaging him in his interest, and 
made him a cardinal. Never did a churchman equal him in state 
and dignity. His train consisted of eight hundred servants, of 
whom many were knights and gentlemen, and the young nobles 
served as his pages. 

2. He was the first clergyman in England that wore silk and gold, 
not only on his dress, but also on the saddles and the trappings of his 
horses. The tallest and handsomest priests were selected to carry 
before him the badges of his different offices. All this ostentation, 
instead of awing the people, only excited their merriment, and this 
was increased by an accident which happened to a brother cardinal. 

3. Pope Leo X. sent a cardinal to solicit Henry to engage in a 
war against the Turks. Wolsey, hearing of his arrival at Calais 
with a retinue in a pretty ragged condition, sent over a quantity of 
red cloth, to enable them to make an appearance more becoming, 
as he conceived, the dignity of their lord. 

4. Wolsey gave directions for the reception of tlie ambassador at 
Dover with great distinction, but was much mortified at finding 
that eight mules could bear all his baggage. Thinking these not 
enough for his honor, he sent him twelve more. 

5. "But now," as the old chronicler says, "see the shame of 
pride ; for as they passed through Cheapside, in London, the mules 
by some mischance overthrew their coffers on the ground, whose lids 
flying open, showed the world what treasure it was that they carried, 
— old breeches, boots, and broken shoes, bones and crusts of bread; 
exposing him to the laughter of all the people ; yet the cardinal went 
jogging on before, with his crosses, his gilt axe and mace, borne 
before him." 

6. Wolsey was very courteous to his dependants, and those who 
- flattered and assisted him, but oppressive to the people, and haughty 

and arrogant in his treatment of the nobility. This conduct some- 
times met with a mortifying rebuff. 

7. An extravagant young nobleman, having lately sold an estate 
containing a hundred houses, came ruffling into court in a new suit of 
clothes, saying, " Am not I a mighty man, that bear a hundred houses 
on my back?" which Wolsey hearing, said, "You might better have 
employed it in paying your debts." " Indeed, my lord," says the 
noble, " you say well ; for, my lord, my father owed to your father 
three half-pence for a calf's-head ; hold, here is two-pence for it." 

8. Nothing short of the popedom would satisfy the ambition of 

CXXIV.— 1. What of Wolsey's style of living? 3, 4, 5. Relate the accident which 
befell the pope's ambassarlor. 6, 7. Relate the anecdote of Wolsey and the young noble- 



228 HENRY VIII. INVADES FRANCE. ]513. 

Wolsey. To procure the favor of the foreign princes by whose 
patronage he hoj^ed to obtain it, he sacrificed the interests of his 
own country, and made the king his perpetual du})e. 

9. Wolsey was a liberal patron of letters. Erasmus, a very 
learned man, who went from Holland to teach Greek at Oxford, 
tells us that " this extraordinary man had a genius and a taste for 
learning, in which he had made great proficiency in his youth, and 
for whicli he retained a regard in the highest elevation." 

10. He invited the most learned men by his noble salaries. He 
furnished the libraries with the best books of that day. He recalled 
the learned languages, without which all learning is lame. He 
began the erection of a college at Oxford, intending to call it Car- 
dinal College ; but he did not retain his power long enough to finish 
it. Henry VHI. seized upon its remains, and, completing the 
building, took to himself the credit of establishing it. 



CHAPTER CXXV. 

Henry invades France. — Battle of the Spurs. — Battle of Flodden Field. 
— The Emperor Charles V. visits England, — The Field of the Cloth 
of Gold. 

1. Henry aspired to the fame of being a great warrior. After 
making immense preparations, in 1513 he landed at Calais. From 
thence he proceeded to lay siege to Terouanne. A body of French 
troops was sent to the succor of the town. Henry, hearing of their 
approach, sent some troops to opjiose them. 

2. Notwithstanding the French troops consisted of men whose 
courage had been tried in many desperate battles, they fled so pre- 
cipitately at the approach of the English, that the engagement has 
been called the Battle of the Spurs. 

3. Scarcely ever was the French monarchy in greater danger 
than after this defeat ; for it was in no condition to defend itself 
against the powerful army of Henry. But that monarch's passion 
for military glory was already satisfied, and, after taking Tournay, 
he returned to England. 

4. Upon the same day that Tournay was taken, a battle was 
fought at Flodden, between James IV. of Scotland, and an English 
army under Lord Surrey, afterwards Duke of Norfolk. This is the 
battle of Flodden Field, so celebrated in the old ballads ; and so 
finely described by Scott in the poem of Marmion. The Scots were 
defeated, and James was killed. 



man. 8. What was now the object of Wolsey's ambition? 9, 10. What of his patronage 
of learning? 

CXXV. — 1. When did Henry invade France? 2. What name is given to a battle with 
the French? Why? 4. What liattle was fought in Scotland? With what result? 



THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD. 1520. 



229 



5. Upon the death of Louis XII., in 1515, Francis I. became 
King of France, and in 1517, Charles V. became King of Spain, 
and soon afterwards Emperor of Germany. Both these princes 
were young, possessed of great talents and boundless ambition. 
Each courted and cajoled Henry, whose blunt and open character 
was no match for either of them. 

6. Francis hoped by a personal interview to secure the favor of 
Henry, and therefore invited that monarch to meet him near Calais. 
But Charles was beforehand with him. For, as soon as he heard 
of the proposed meeting, he started for England, and landed at 
Dover, with a small attendance, before Henry had received any 
intimation of his purjiose. 

7. In those days it showed great confidence in a monarch's honor, 
thus to place one's self in his power, and the compliment thus paid 
by Charles was not without its influence upon the vain Henry. By 
flattering the latter, and by bribing Wolsey with gifts and promises, 
Charles detached them from the interests of France. He then went 
on his way to his possessions in Holland, and Henry proceeded to 
Calais, to meet the French king. This meeting took place in June, 
1520, in a plain near that city. 




THE MEETING OF HENRY AND FRANCIS. 

8. Two thousand and eight hundred tents, many of them of silk 
and cloth of gold, were not sufficient to contain the multitudes who 
flocked to this splendid festival ; and many ladies and gentlemen 



5. When did Louis XII. die? Who succeeded him ? What of Francis I. and Cliailes V.? 

6. What did Francis propose to Henry? W^hat did Charles do? 7. What of Charles' 

20 



230 THE SALE OF INDULGENCES. — 1520. 

of rank were glad to obtain a lodging in barns, and to sleep upon 
hay and straw. The French and English vied with one another in 
the splendor of their dresses, and this meeting is celebrated as the 
''Field of the Cloth of Gold." 

9. It continued a fortnight, and was a succession of entertain- 
ments. At lirst the two monarclis met, attended by their trains, 
and passed the day together, according to the formal etiquette pre- 
scribed by Wolsey, who acted as master of ceremonies. 

10. But such dull parade did not suit the frank and ardent spirit 
of Francis, and, after two or three of these interviews, he mounted 
his horse one morning early, and rode off to the quarters of Henry. 
The English, who were on guard, were astonished to see the King 
of France at that hour, and without attendants ; but Francis de- 
sired to be conducted to Henry's apartment, and, undrawing his 
bed-curtains, awoke him out of his sleei^. 

11. Henry was as much amazed as his guards had been; and 
from that time the intercourse was conducted with more freedom, 
as it will appear from a little incident. One day, after the two 
kings liad been looking at a wrestling-match, Henry, seizing Francis 
by the collar, said, " My brother, you and I must wrestle," and en- 
deavored to throw him down ; but Francis, being the more expert, 
nimbly twisted Henry round, and threw him to the ground. 

12. Though Henry affected to consider this as a pleasant joke, 
yet he was greatly vexed, and never forgave it. The two kings 
separated on the 25th of June, and more ceremonious visits were 
then exchanged between the Emperor Charles and Henry. Amidst 
the tournaments and splendid entertainments to which these gave 
occasion, Charles never lost sight of his own interests, but sought to 
make sure the favor he had gained with Henry and his ambitious 
minister. 



CHAPTER CXXVI. 

Henry VIII. writes a Book against the Reformation. — About Anne 
Boleyn. — Thomas Cramner rises into notice. — Disgrace and Deoih 
of Wolseg. 

1. In every age there had been some men, more enlightened than 
the great mass, who had jirotested against the assumptions of the 
see of Rome, as well as the immorality of the clergy. But it was not 
until the age at which we have now arrived that any very extensive 
effects were produced. 

2. Pope Leo X., having occasion for a great deal of money to 
carry on the building of the magnificent church of St. Peter at 
Rome, attempted to raise it by the sale of indulgences, or licenses to 

visit to England? 8. Wli.it of lli.- intfrvM'W bt-tweeii Henry and Francis? 10, 11. AVhat 
did Francis do to get rid of tlie formality ? 12. What of the final interview between 
Henry and Charles? 
CXXVI. — 2. What were indulgences? 3. Who opposed the sale of them? 4. What 



ANNE BOLEYN. — 1521. 



231 



sin, as they have been called ; for these indulgences were under- 
stood not only to pardon past sins, but those that might after- 
wards be committed. No doubt the sellers of these indulgences 
somewhat stretched their authority, but still it is evident that they 
were in the main sanctioned by the head of the church. 

3. Martin Luther, himself a monk, was induced to oppose the 
sale of these indulgences, and proceetling by degrees, he at length 
ventured boldly to deny the authority of the pope to issue them. 
He found ready converts to these opinions, and the Refor) nation, as 
it is called, made rapid progress. 

4. In 1521, Henry appeared in the field, as an author, against 
what he deemed the new heresies. He wrote a Latin book, which 
was presented with great ceremony to Leo, who rewarded the royal 
author with the title of ''Defender of the Faith," and sent him a 
letter, praising his " wisdom, learning, zeal, charity, gravity, gentle- 
ness, and meekness," — most of which epithets few people could 
less deserve. 

5. But a change in the relations between the king and the pope 
was soon to take place, and we shall see the consequences. At the 
court of Henry was a beautiful young lady, named Anne Boleyn, 
who had been educated at the French court, and who had returned 
with her English beauty adorned by French grace and vivacity. 




HENKY VIII. AND ANNE BOLEYN. 



6. The king was captivated by her charms, and sought for some 
pretext upon which he could be separated from his wife, that he 
might marry Anne. This was soon found, and Wolsey was sent to 
the pope to sue for a divorce upon the ground of Catharine's pre- 
vious marriao-e with Prince Arthur. 



did Henry VIII. do? 5, 6. What led to a change in the relations between Henry and the 



232 THOMAS CRANMER. — 1528. 

7. The pope, unwilling to displease the emperor, who was the 
nephew of Catharine, declined giving a decided answer, and, after 
keeping Henry in suspense for a yeai", sent, in 1528, Cardinal Cam- 
peggio to England, to decide, in concert with Wolsey, the validity 
of the king's marriage with Catharine. 

8. Campeggio tried to settle the difficulty by private negotiation. 
He first addressed himself to the king, and exhorted him to give up 
the thoughts of a divorce. Not succeeding in this, he sought to 
prevail on Catharine to retire to a nunnery ; but with her he was also 
unsuccessful. After another year of delays, the two cardinals pro- 
ceeded to a trial ; but they seemed unwilling to come to a decision. 
The king's patience was nearly exhausted, and it now became ap- 
jjarent to the courtiers that Wolsey's favor was waning. 

9. It chanced about this time that Gardiner and Fox, two of the 
king's servants, fell by accident in company with a young priest, 
named Thomas Cranmer. The convei'sation turned upon the sub- 
ject of the king's divorce. Cranmer at first declined any opinion 
about it, but, being pressed, said he would spend no time in nego- 
tiating with the pope, but would propose to the most learned men 
in Europe this plain question, "Can a man marry his brother's 
widow ?" 

10. The two doctors were much struck with this hint, and men- 
tioned it to the king, who exclaimed, in his blunt way, " that Cran- 
mer had got the right sow by the car." Cranmer was at once taken 




DEATH OF WOI.SEY. 



into the service of the king, and engaged to write a book in favor 
of the divorce. 

pope? 7, 8. How diii the pope seek to avoid a quarrel ? 9, 10. What brought Cranmer 



HENRY MARRIES ANNE BOLEYN. ]0."3. 233 

■ 11. From this time Wolsey's influence declined. Anne Boleyn, 
who suspected that he opposed her elevation to the throne, joined 
his enemies, of whom his pride and arrogance had created many. 
Such secrecy was used, that Wolsey's first knowledge of their pro- 
ceedings was an indictment brought against him with the king's 
consent. 

12. All his property, even his clothes, and a tomb which he had 
prepared for himself at Windsor, was seized by the king, and he 
was himself banished from court. Henry's resentment, however, 
soon subsided, and he sent Wolsey a general pardon, restoring a 
portion of his revenues, but requiring him to reside at York. 

13. But adversity had not cured him of his love of magnificence, 
which again drew on him the king's displeasure. He was now 
arrested for high treason. His anxiety threw him into a violent 
fever; in which condition he set out on his journey to the Tower. 
On the third day he arrived at Leicester Abbey, and Wolsey said 
to the abbot, who came to the gate to receive him, " My father, I 
am come to lay my bones among you." 

14. He was lifted from his mule, and carried to his bed, from 
which he never rose. He died November 29th, 1530. On his 
death-bed he uttered these affecting words : " Had I served my God 
as diligently as I have served my king, he would not have left me 
in my gray hairs." 



CHAPTER CXXVII. 

Henry VIII. marries Anne Boleyn, and is declared Head of the 
English Church. — The Monasteries dissolved. — Sir Thomas More. — 
Death of Anne Boleyn. — Marriage and Death of Jane Seymour. 

1. From the time of Wolsey's disgrace, Henry was busily em- 
ployed in collecting the opinions of learned men on the subject 
of the divorce. But delay after delay was made by the clergy, 
and two more years passed without the business being at all 
advanced. 

2. In 1533, Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury, and 
proceeded to try the question. A sort of court was assembled, and, 
after a fortnight spent in hearing arguments, sentence of divorce 
was pronounced, declaring that the marriage was not valid from 
the beginning, and that Mary, daughter of Catharine, was not an 
heir to the crown. 

3. The poor queen retired to Ampthill, where she died in 1536, 
and the king was publicly married to Anne Boleyn. The news of 
the sentence excited violent commotion at Rome. The pope at first 

into notice? 11,12. What now befell Wolsey? 13,14. Relate the particulars of his 
death. 
CXXVII. — 1. 2. When was the matter of the king's divorce settled? 3. What did 

20 » 



234 



SIK THOMAS MORE. — 1536. 



was doubtful what to do, but at length issued an angry decree, de- 
claring the marriage with Catharine to be valid. 



il'l' k'l^V- "|n„ 




HENRY VIII. BECOMES HEAD OF THE CHUECH. 

4. He soon saw the political error he had committed; for Henry, 
in a violent passion, called a parliament, which transferred the 
.supremacy of the Church of England froni the pope to the king, 
and with it all the revenues that had hitherto accrued to the see of 
Rome. The monasteries and nunneries wei'e also dissolved, and 
their ])oss&s.sions bestowed upon the king. 

5. Commissioners were sent over the kingdom, requiring all per- 
sons to subscribe the act that had declared the king to be the head 
of the church. Sir Thomas More, and Fisher, Bishop of Roches- 
ter, both men of great learning and Avisdom, refused to subscribe, 
and were consequently beheaded. 

6. Sir Thomas was one of the most learned and virtuous men 
of his age. He gave proofs at an early period of his genius, and 
great pains were taken with his education. When he was about 
twenty, he became a religious devotee, wore a hair shirt, slept upon 
boards, and had a great inclination to become a monk. 

7. In conformity, however, with his father's commands, which he 
never disol)eyed, he gave up his own pleasure, and applied himself 
to the study of the law. He soon became conspicuous for his 
eloquence, and was employed in every important cause. 

S. In the midst of the greatest hurry of business, in Avhich his 
whole day was occupied, he stole time from his sleep to pursue his 
favorite studies, and to compose his Utopia, which excited univer- 
sal admiration. Henry VIII. was so pleased with his conversation, 
that he sent frequently for him to entertain and divert him. 



the pope do? 4. What was the consequence of the pope's measures? 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. What 



DEATH OF ANNE BOLEYN. — 1536. 



235 



9. This was very disagreeable to Sir Thomas, as it consumed so 
much of his time, and in order to get rid of this royal interruption. 




DEATH OF SIR THOMAS MORE. 

he made use of a stratagem. He affected to be very dull and un- 
entertaining several times successively, and was no more sent for, 
sacrificing the reputation of being a wit, and the conversation of 
a king, to save his time. 

10. Anne Boleyn's enjoyment of a ci'own was of short duration. 
Her French manners and vivacity, though so pleasing to the king 
before, displeased him after she became queen. Upon a false accusa- 
tion she was, therefore, arrested on the 2d of May, 1536, and sent 
a prisoner to the Tower. 

11. She now paid dearly for her brief exaltation; accused of a 
crime of which she was innocent, denied the sight other parents, and 
surrounded by her bitterest enemies, after a mock trial, at which she 
was allowed no counsel, she was pronounced guilty, her marriage 
declared void, and herself condemned to death. Her daughter, 
Elizabeth, afterwards queen, was declared incapable of inheriting 
the crown. 

12. Anne was beheaded, and the king paid her memory the com- 
pliment of wearing white mourning one day, and on the next was 
married to Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir Thomas Seymour. The 
new queen died at the end of the year, leaving one son, Edward. 



is said of Sir Thomas More? 10, 11. What was the fate of Anne Boleyn? 12^ Whom 
did the king marry next? 



236 ANN OF CLEVES. — CATHARINE PARR. 



CHAPTER CXXVIII. 

Thomas Cromwell. — The King marries in succession Ann of Cleves, 
Catharine Howard, and Catharine Parr. 

1. Among the few of Wolsey's servants who remained faithful 
to their master in his disgrace, was Thomas Cromwell, the son of a 
l)lacksmith, who, by the force of his natural talents, had risen from 
the situation of a common soldier to be the secretary and confidential 
friend of the cardinal. After the death of Wolsey, he entered into 
the service of the king, and rose rapidly in favor, so that he 
engrossed some of the chief offices in the state. 

2. The king now looked abi'oad for a wife; but there were some 
who tliouglit that the brief enjoyment of the post of queen might be 
paid for too dearly; one lady whom he asked, sent him a refusal, 
saying, " She had but one head ; if she had two, she might have 
ventured to marry him." 

3. Cromwell, who was a zealous friend to the Reformation, was 
desirous that Henry should ally himself to one of the Protestant 
princes of Germany, and procured a portrait of Ann of Cleves, to 
show to the king. Henry was so much pleased with the picture, 
that he sent to demand the lady in marriage. 

4. When she arrived in England, the king found her so unlike the 
portrait, that he was with difficulty jjersuaded to marry her ; and 
when he discovered that she was stupid and ignorant, and could 
speak no language but Dutch, he disliked her more than before, and 
resolved on being divorced from her ; but as a first step, he beheaded 
Cromwell, because he had been the adviser of the measure. 

5. He then summoned a parliament, who most obsequiously de- 
clared the marriage void. The king treated Ann with much liberal- 
ity, assigning her an ample income, and a fine jjalace, and she 
passed the rest of her life to all appearance very contentedly. 

6. A fortnight had not elapsed, before Henry jiresented Catharine 
Howard, niece of the Duke of Norfolk, to the court as queen. He 
was so much charmed with the wit and agreeableness of his new 
wife, that he caused a thanksgiving prayer to be made for his happy 
marriage. But he soon found reason to be discontented, and, on the 
12th of February, 1542, she lost her life upon the scaffold. 

7. Tired of marrying for beauty, Henry looked out for sense and 
discretion in his next wife, which he happily found united in Catha- 
rine Parr, the widow of Lord Latimer. He married her in 1543. 
She contrived to preserve the good opinion of the king, amidst all 
thj storms and variations of his capricious temper. 

CXXVIII. — I. Who was Tlinmas Cromwell? Z. Wlmm did Cromwell induce the king 
to marry? 4. IIow was the king pleased with his bride? 5. What became of her? B. 
Whom did he next marry? What became of this wife? 7. Who was his last wife? 



HENKY VIII. AND THE REFORMERS. — 1543. 237 



CHAPTER CXXIX. 

Henry VITI. very zealous against Heretics. — Catharine Parr incurs 
great Danger. — By what Aleans she escapes from it. 

1. It was, as already stated, in a fit of passion that Henry re- 
nounced the authority of the pope. He was very far from being a 
convert to the doctrines of Luther and other Reformers. It is true 
he abolished monasteries and nunneries, with all their rules and 
observances ; but yet he appointed priests to say masses for his own 
soul. 

2. All who denied the supremacy of the king in matters of re- 
ligion Avere deemed heretics, and many were burned to death ; 
papists and Protestants suffered at the same stake. The king was 
particularly vain of his theological knowledge, and even engaged 
in public controversy with those who were accused of heresy. 

8. Theology was also a favorite topic of conversation, but woe to 
such as had the hardihood todifier from the despotic and passionate 
monarch. Queen Catharine, who was at heart a Protestant, in- 
curred no small hazard. Upon one occasion she expressed herself 
rather too strongly in favor of the reformed faith. 

4. Henry, provoked that any one should presume to differ from 
him, complained of the queen's obstinacy to Gardiner, a bigoted 
Roman Catholic, who sought to inflame the quarrel. He at length 
prevailed on the king to consent that the queen should be publicly 
accused and tried as a heretic. 

5. With so capricious a monarch it was dangerous for any officer 
to sign the articles, since it was high treason, a capital offence, for 
any one to slander the queen. The paper was prepared for the 
king's own signature. By some means it fell into the hands of the 
queen's friends, and she was at once informed of her danger. 

6. She did not despair of being able, by prudence and address, to 
disappoint the efforts of her enemies. She paid her usual visit to 
the king, and found him more placid than she expected. He en- 
tered at once upon his favorite topic, and seemed to challenge her 
to an argument in divinity. 

7. She gentljf declined the conversation, saying that such pro- 
found speculations were ill suited to her sex. That she was blessed 
with a husband who was qualified, by his judgment and learning, not 
only to choose principles for his own fixmily, but for the most wise 
and learned of the nation. That she found conversation apt to 
languish when there was no opposition, and therefore she some- 
times ventured to oppose, to give him the pleasure of refuting her. 

8. "And is it so?" replied the king; "then we are perfect 
friends again." Her enemies, who knew nothing of the change in 
the king's sentiments, prepared the next day to carry her to the 

CXXIX.— 1. What of the king's feelings towards the Reformers? 3. What diinser did 
Catharine incur? 5. How did she become informed other danger? 6, 7, 8. How did she 
avert it? 9. What reception did her enemies meet with? 



238 



ARCHBISHOP CRANMER. — 1543. 



Tower. Henry and Catharine were conversing amicably in the 
garden, when the chancellor appeared, with forty of his attendant 
officers. 

9. The king spoke to him at some distance from her, and seemed 
to treat him with great severity ; she overheard the epithets knave, 
fool, and beast, liberally bestowed upon the magistrate. When the 
king joined her, she interposed to mitigate his anger. " Poor soul!" 
said he, " you know not how ill entitled this man is to your good 
offices." The queen took good care never again to contradict his 
majesty, and Gardiner never could regain his good opinion. 



CHAPTER CXXX. 

Cranmer causes the Bible to be translated into English, and to be pub- 
licly read. — Proofs of the Ignorance of the People. 




CHANMER. 



1. There was one of Henry's servants who retained the favor of 
Ids master from first to last, and that not by any obsequiousness, 
but by the integrity of his character. This was Cranmer. He was 
the only one of Henry's favorites who had no selfish views of his 
own. His whole soul was placed on one great object, the reforma- 
tion of religion. 



CXXX.— 1, 2. What of Cranmer? 3. Wliat ifTcct had his virtues on Henry? 4. 



TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE INTO ENGLISH. 239 

2. Wolsey's great abilities were solely employed in raising him- 
self to the highest worldly dignity. Cromwell, though a zealous 
reformer, was intent on enriching himself from the pillage of the 
religious houses. Cranmer's character was so devoid of covetous- 
ness and ambition, that he at first declined the archbishopric, and 
at last accepted only from the hope that it would give him better 
means of forwarding the cause he had at heart. . 

3. Notwithstanding a timidity of character which betrayed him 
into some weaknesses, the virtue of Cranmer awed the overbearing 
Henry, who usually contrived to send him to a distance when he 
was about to commit any of his flagrant acts. The king's regard 
for him was at all times sincere. 

4. Upon one occasion, Gardiner and the Duke of Norfolk, the 
leaders of the papists, thought they had obtained the king's consent 
to send Cranmer to the Tower ; but Henry privately warned the 
archbishop of the plot, and advised him how to defeat the malice 
of his enemies. 

5. Cranmer was very anxious that the public services of the 
church should be in English instead of Latin, but he knew that the 
king would violently oppose such a change. He therefore thought 
it best to lead to it by degrees ; and when a prayer was to be com- 
posed for the king's preservation, in an expedition to France, in 
1544, Cranmer besought him that it might be comjjosed in English, 
that the people might pray with more fervor, from understanding 
what they uttered. 

6. By degrees he gained permission to have the Lord's Prayer, 
the Creed, and the Commandments read in English in the churches. 
He was also desirous of obtaining a better translation of the Bible 
than Wickliffe's, of which a few copies were yet extant. At last he 
gained the king's permission to have one prepared, but it was four 
years before it was completed. 

7. These Bibles, when they did appear, were received with thank- 
fulness all over the kingdom ; they were placed in churches, and 
secured by a chain to the reading-desk. The people flocked to the 
places where they could hear the holy book read, and many persons 
learned to read for the sole purpose of perusing it. But Henry, in 
the latter part of his life, would not permit the Scriptures to be 
read by the lower orders of the people. 

8. The increase of books, through the invention of printing, had 
already made the English much greater readers than formerly ; but 
in regard to writing, they do not seem to have been much advanced. 
An anecdote illustrative of this is contained in a letter, dated 151(3, 
giving an account of some seditious jiaper which was stuck up on 
St. Paul's Church. 

9. In order to discover who had written it, the aldermen of Lon- 
don were ordered to go round all the wards, and " see all write who 
could." We may conclude, also, that country gentlemen were not 
better scribes than the citizens ; for in a book on agriculture, written 

What instance nf the king's regard for liim 1 5. AVhat object had Cranmer much at 
heart? 6. What of liis translation of tlie Bible? 7. How did the people receive the 
Bible ? 8, 9. What instances of tlie ignorance of the people 1 



240 TYRANNY OF HENRY. — 1546. 

about this time, it is suggested that those gentlemen who could not 
write might note down anything they wished to remember by cutting 
notches on a stick. 



CHAPTER CXXXI. 

War betioeen England and Scotland. — Battle of Solway Moss. — Death 
of the King of Scotland, viho is succeeded bij the beautiful Mary, 
Queen of Scots. — Henry becomes more tyrannical, as he grows old. — 
Arrest of the Duke of Norfolk, and of the Earl of Surrey. — Charac- 
ter of these Noblemen. — Death of Surrey. — Death of Henry VIII. 

1. Henry was very fond of royal interviews, and, in 1541, a 
meeting between him and his nephew, James V., of Scotland, was 
agreed upon, to be held at York. Henry and his court kept the 
appointment, and waited for some days ; but the King of Scots was 
prevented by his clergy from fulfilling the engagement. 

2. Henry was so much enraged at this insult, that he declared 
war against him. The English army obtained a victory at Solway 
Moss, and James was so much overwhelmed when he heard of it, 
that he sunk into a settled melancholy, and died December 14th, 
1542, leaving an infant daughter, only seven years old, as heir to 
his throne. 

3. This princess was the celebrated Mary, Queen of Scots, of 
whose unhaj^py life and death you Avill hear in the proper place. 
Henry was desirous of a marriage between the young Queen of 
Scotland and his son Edward, and used both force and artifice to 
bring it about. He wished also to be made Protector of Scotland 
during the queen's minority ; but the Scots were too bold to be 
frightened, and too wary to be ensnared. 

4. In 154G peace was made with Scotland, and Henry, being also 
at peace with France and Germany, liad nothing to do but to tor- 
ment his own subjects. As he required the people to make his 
opinion the standard of their faith, and was continually changing 
that opinion, and making contradictory laws, it was scarcely pos- 
sible for his subjects to steer a safe course, among the difficulties 
which his tyrannical caprice laid in their way. 

5. Towards the end of his life he was troubled with a very pain- 
ful disorder in his leg, which, added to his unwieldy corpulence, 
disabled him from walking, and made him more furious than a 
chained lion. These infirmities so greatly increased the natural 
violence of his temper, that everybody was afraid to come near 
him. 

6. Even the queen, though she was his most attentive nurse, per- 

CXXXI.— 1, 2. Wliat led to a war with Scotland? What effect had the defeat of the 
Scots upon their Ivinj;? Wlio succeeded .James V.? 3. What marriage was Henrj' de- 
sirous to etfect? 4. What of his treatment of his own subjects? 5. What increased his 
natural ill temper? 0. What was one of the last acts of his life? 7. What of the Duke 



DEATH OF HENRY VIII. 1547. 241 

forming the most disagreeable offices for him, was treated with 
harshness. His tyranny and caprice were such that none could feel 
safe. Among the last acts of his life was the arrest of the Duke of 
Norfolk and his son, Lord Surrey. 

7. The former was regarded as the greatest subject in the king- 
dom. He had been one of the king's earliest favorites ; he had ren- 
dered great services to the crown, which had been rewarded by 
honors and estates ; he was allied to the royal family by marriage 
in various ways. 

8. The Earl of Surrey was the most accomplished nobleman in 
the kingdom. He was equally distinguished as a courtier, a scholar, 
and a soldier. Himself a poet, he was a liberal patron of letters 
and of the fine arts. Both these noblemen were zealous Roman 
Catholics, and the duke was regarded, both at home and abroad, as 
the head of that party. 

9. It was doubtless the king's fear that they might prove danger- 
ous subjects during the minority of his son Edward, that led to their 
ruin. But the charges actually brought against them were frivolous 
in the extreme. But with the parliaments and juries of Henry's 
reign this was of small consequence. Surrey was found guilty of 
high treason, and was beheaded January 19th, 1547. 

10. Norfolk tried every concession to save his own life, but Henrj', 
as if he thirsted for blood, hurried on the proceedings of parliament, 
and the death-warrant was signed January 27th, but before it could 
be executed, the king expired, and thus his victim escaped. 

11. Henry's temper was so terrific, that, when he was dying, no 
person dared to give him the least hint of his danger. At last one 
bolder than the rest ventured to tell him he had not long to live, and 
asked him if he would have a clergyman sent for. He rei^lied, " If 
any, Cranmer." When the archbishop arrived, the king was speech- 
less, but he knew Cranmer, and expired as he pressed his hand. He 
was in the fifty-sixth year of his age, and the thirty-eighth of his reign. 

12. Though the princesses, Mary and Elizabeth, had been de- 
clared not to be capable of inheriting the crown, Henry appointed 
them in his will, after their brother, to the succession. In case they 
all died without children, he left the succession to the heirs of his 
youngest sister, the Duchess of Suffolk, in exclusion of those of his 
eldest sister, Margai'et, who, after the death of the King of Scotland, 
had married the Eai-1 of Angus. 

FAMILY OF HENRY VIII. 

AVIVES. 

Catharine of Avngon, whom he divorced. 
Anne Bolcjn, whom he beheaded. 
Jane Seymour, who died a natural death. 
Ann of Cleves, whom he divorced. 
Catharine Howard, whom he beheaded. 
Catharine Parr, who survived him. 

of Norfolk? 8. What of Lord Surrey? 9, 10. What was the fate of these noblemen? 
11. Relate the particulai's of Henry's rloatli. 12. What did he appoint as the order of 
succession ? 

21 



242 ANECDOTES OF HENRY VIII. 



CHILDREN. 



Edward, son of Jane Seymour, who succeeded. 

Mary daughter of Catharine of Aragon, ) ^f^erwards Queens of England. 

Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, j -v o 



CHAPTER CXXXII. 

Anecdotes of Henry VIII. — His patronage of Men of Learning. — 
Erasynus invited to England to teach Greek. — Violent Disputes as to 
the proper Pronunciation of that Language. — The King interferes to 
put a stop to them. — Hans Holbein, the Painter. — Several new Vege- 
tables introduced into England. 

1. It may seem extraordinary, that, notwithstanding his cruelty, 
his extortion, his violence, and the many vices which disgraced his 
character, Henry possessed to the last, in some degree, the love and 
affection of his subjects. His exterior qualities were calculated to 
captivate the multitude ; his magnificence and personal courage 
made him illustrious in vulgar eyes. His liberality helped to rec- 
oncile his courtiers to his ill-humors. 

2. A single anecdote will suffice to show how completely the Eng- 
lish people were subdued by the royal authority and will ; indeed, in 
regard to freedom of thought or action, they were little better off' 
than the slaves of an eastern despot. Upon one occasion, the House 
of Commons did not pass a law granting a supply quite so speedily 
as the king wished. 

3. Whereu])on Henry sent for Edward Montague, one of the 
members who had considerable influence in the house; and he, in- 
troduced to his majesty, had the mortification to hear him speak in 
these words : " Ho ! man ! will they not pass my bill?" 

4. And laying his hand on Montague's head, who was then on his 
knees before him, " Get my bill passed by to-morrow, or else to-mor- 
row this head of yours shall be oft"!" The bill was passed within 
the appointed time. — After the evidence we have given of barbar- 
ism in the manners of the age, it will not surprise us to learn that 
the traffic in slaves, bv Christian nations, began in the reign of 
Henry VHI. 

5. We have already said that Henry was distinguished among 
the princes of his age for his scholarship. Learning now became 
fashionable in England. Erasmus sjjcaks witli great satisfaction of 
the regard paid by the nobles to men of knowledge. To sjjcak and 
write pure Latin was deemed a polite accomplishment, to which 
persons of the highest rank and of both sexes aspired. 



CXXXII.— 1. What were the feelings of Henry's suhjerfs towards him? 2, .*?, 4 



ANECDOTES OF HENRY VIII. 243 

6. The greatest scholars of the age did not disdain to spend their 
time in writing grammars, vocabularies, colloquies and other books, 
to assist the unlearned in making this acquisition. Cardinal Wol- 
sey is said to have written the preface to a grammar, which has not 
yet gone entirely out of use in England, prepared by William Lilly, 
a man who, for his great learning, was made the first master of St. 
Paul's School, then just founded in London. 

7. The restorers of learning found it much more difiicult to per- 
suade people that a knowledge of the Greek language was either 
useful or agreeable. By the invitation of Wolsey, Erasmus came 
to Oxford to teach Greek. The introduction of this study rent that 
university into violent factions, which frequently came to blows. 

8. The students divided themselves into parties, which bore the 
names of Grecians and Trojans, and sometimes fought with as great 
animosity as formerly animated those hostile nations. A new and 
more correct method of pronouncing Greek being introduced, the 
Grecians themselves were divided into parties ; and it was remarked 
that the Catholics held to the old, while the Protestants flivored the 
new mode. 

9. Bishop Gardiner declared that, rather than permit the liberty 
of changing the pronunciation of the Greek alphabet, it were better 
the language itself were banished from the universities ; and the 
king, by his influence, made it an offence, subject to whipping and 
other ignominious punishments, to use the new pronunciation. 

10. Hans Holbein, having acquired a great reputation as a 
painter in his native city of Basle, in Switzerland, was invited to 
England, where he was patronized by Henry VIII., who employed 
him to portray the beauties of his wives, or of those whom he pro- 
posed to wed. To procure a just report of the latter, he was twice 
despatched to the continent of Europe, as the secret emissary of the 
king's love. 

11. But he was not always a faithful messenger, for his pencil 
imparted unmerited charms to Ann of Cleves, and ensnared his em- 
ployer into a marriage. As he was one day engaged in painting a 
lady's portrait for the king, a nobleman made his way into his 
room. Offended at the intrusion, Holbein pushed him down stairs. 

12. The nobleman went straight to Henry, complaining loudly 
of the insult, and demanding redress. " It is I, in the person of 
Holbein, who have been insulted," said the monarch ; " I can, when 
I please, make seven lords of seven ploughmen; but I cannot make 
one Holbein even of seven lords." 

13. It was not till the end of this reign that carrots, turnips, and 
other edible roots were produced in England. The little of these 
vegetables that was used was formerly imported from Holland and 
Flanders. Queen Catharine, when she wanted a salad, was obliged 
to despatch a messenger thither on purpose. 

Wliat anecdote is related of him? 5, G. Wliat is said of tlie study of Latin? 7,8,9. 
What of the Greek language? 10, 11, 12. What of Hans Holbein? 13. What of vege- 
tables? 



244 



EDWARD VI. — 1547. 



CHAPTER CXXXIII. 

The Duke of Somerset appointed Protector. — Edward VI. — A Book of 
Prayer prepared. — Sternhold and Hopkins make a Metrical Version 
of the Psalms. — The Thirty-nine Articles. — An apparent general 
Conformity in religious Faith. 




fvi ■^^f:__-^rz^ 



EDWARD VI. AND CRANMER. 

1. Henry, who desired to rule even after his death, left very 
peremptory commands for the government of the state until his son 
Edward should be old enough to take the reins into his own hands. 
But all his directions were disregarded, and the government was 
intrusted to the Duke of Somerset, Edward's eldest uncle, under 
the title of Protector. 

2. Edward was in his tenth year when his father died, and his 
love of study and early application already" gave great promise of his 
future capacity for government. The protector, who favored the 
Protestants, intrusted his education to men of the reformed religion. 
The young king readily imbibed their opinions, and he showed a 
knowledge, zeal, and piety quite extraordinary in a boy of his age. 

3. Theology was his favorite study, and his greatest delight was 
listening to sermons. Latimer, who had suffered much in the reign 
of Henry for his zeal in behalf of the reformed faith, was appointed 
the king's preacher, and had a pulpit jjlaced in one of the royal 
gardens, where Edward loved to sit out of doors and listen for 
hours to his very long, but very eloquent sermons. 

4. But we must not suppose that the king neglected his other 
studies. His Latin exercises have been preserved, and do him great 



CXXXIII.— 1. What of tlie govenimpnt after Henry's death? 2. What of Edward? 
3. What was his favorite study? 4. Did ho respeet others? ."). Wliat of the progress 



THE REFORMATION. 1517. 245 

credit. There can be no question that he possessed abilities of a 
very high order. At the same time he endeared himself to all 
around by the gentleness of his disposition. 

5. The^A'ork of reformation in religion was now undertaken in 
earnest. By direction of the protector, Cranmer, and Ridley, after- 
wards Bishop of London, prepared a Book of Prayer, from which 
the one now in use in the English Church differs but little. To 
conciliate those who yet inclined to popery, many of the prayers 
of the Romish Church were retained. 

6. About the same time, Thomas Sternhold, an officer in the 
palace of the king, being displeased by the silly and profane songs 
he used to hear the courtiers sing, and thinking he should do them 
a kindness by furnishing them with something better, made a trans- 
lation of the Psalms of David into verse, being assisted in the work 
by a schoolmaster, named Hopkins. 

7. At first these Psalms were sung to the tunes of songs, but 
soon becoming generally known and approved of, they were adapted 
to church music, and placed at the end of the Prayer-Book. That 
there might be a general conformity in religious belief, Cranmer 
drew up forty-two articles, from whicli, with some slight alterations 
and retrenchments, the Thirfy-nine Articles are formed. These 
articles are a short summary of the doctrines of the Church of 
England. 

8. Severe penalties wei'e denounced against all who did not avow 
their belief in the religion of the government. The Princess Mary, 
who was a rigid papist, refused to conform to the law. On this, her 
chaplains were imprisoned, and she herself threatened with punish- 
ment; but when she appealed to her cousin, the emperor, and made 
an attempt to escape from England, it was deemed prudent to per- 
mit her to worship God according to the dictates of her own heart, 
provided she did it privately in her own house ; a concession which 
cost the young king many tears. 

9. Bishop Gardiner likewise refused to conform, and suffered im- 
prisonment. But the nation was in a great measure brought to a 
seeming conformity in religion. Some adopted the reformed faith 
from conviction of its truth ; some, because it was the religion of 
the court; while those who had obtained grants of abbey lands 
warmly supported the views of the protector, lest, with the restora- 
tion of the old religion, they should be obliged to refund their share 
of the jjlunder. 

of the Reformation? What of the Book of Prayer? 6. Who made a metrical version of 
the Psalms? Why was it done? 7. What are the Thirty-nine Articles? 8. Who refused 
to conform to the reformed mode of worsliip? What was the result? 9. By what dif- 
ferent motives were the people actuated? 

21 « 



246 BATTLE OF PINKIE. — 1547. 



CHAPTER CXXXIV. 

The Protector seeks to force a Marriage between Edward and Mary. — 
Battle of Pinkie. — Mary sent to France. — Catharine Parr marries 
Lord Seymour. — Her Death. — Dudley, Earl of Warwick, induces 
Seymour to commit Acts which lead to his Execution. 

1. The marriage of Edward with the young Queen of Scots had 
been a favorite measure with Henry, who foresaw the advantages 
which would result from the union of the whole island under one 
government. He had enjoined it ujjon his council to procure its 
completion by force, if it could not be done by negotiation. 

2. Failing in the latter, the protector, in 1547, marched into Scot- 
land at the head of an army, and advanced to within four miles of 
Edinburgh, without meeting with much opposition. At the same 
time a large fleet arrived in the Frith of Forth to assist the opera- 
tions of the army. The governor of Scotland summoned the Avhole 
force of the kingdom to repel this formidable invasion, and posted 
his army in a very advantageous jjosition on the banks of the 
river Esk. 

3. Somerset, seeing the impossibility of attacking the enemy with 
any hope of success, moderated his demands, and only required that 
the young queen should not be married to any one else until she 
was old enough to choose for herself. But tlie Scots refused to 
agree to these terms, supposing that Somerset only offered them 
from finding himself in a perilous condition ; and they were con- 
firmed in this belief, by observing that the English army moved 
towards the sea, as if to embark. 

4. To intercept its escape, the Scots unwisely left their strong 
post, and descended into the plain, placing themselves between the 
English and the sea. Here they were exposed to the cannon of 
the ships, and, being thus placed between two fires, were compelled 
to fall back. A panic now seized them, and the retreat became 
a flight. 

5. The Battle of Pinkie, as it is called, from the name of a house 
near the field, was fought September lOth, 1547. In it perished more 
than ten thousand Scots. Among these were a great number of 
monks and priests, who had been drawn to the camp by their hatred 
of the English heretics. A large number of prisoners were taken, 
amongst others the Earl of Huntley, who, being asked how he stood 
affected to the marriage, replied, " That he liked the marriage well 
enougli, but he liked not the manner of wooing." 

6. These rough proceedings so irritated the Scots that they re- 
solved their queen should never marry Edward. To place her 
beyond the power of the English, they sent her, being now six 
years old, to be educated at the court of France, and betrothed her 
to the daujjhin. 

CXXXrV.— 1. Why dill Somerset invade Scotland? When? 2. V/hat did the Scots 
do? 3. What terms did Somerset propose? 4, 5. What of the battle of Pinkie? 6. 



INSURRECTIONS AND TUMULTS. 1549. 247 

7. Somerset now returned in great haste to England, for he had 
received intelligence of some designs to remove him from his high 
ofhce. At the head of the malcontents was his own brother, Lord 
Seymour, who aspired to supplant the protector. Seymour was a 
man of great powers of flattery, and had won so much on the good 
opinion of Catharine Parr, that she married him very soon after 
Henry's death. 

8. She lived only a year after the marriage, and Seymour then 
aspired to a still higher connection; for he addressed the Princess 
Elizabeth, and it is supposed would have been successful in his 
suit, had it not been opposed by other officers in the state. 

9. Seymour was encouraged in his opposition to Somerset by 
Dudley, Earl of Warwick, son of that wicked Dudley who had 
been a judge in Henry VII.'s reign, and who hoped to raise him- 
self by the ruin of both the brothers. Having induced Seymour to 
commit some violent actions, he then persuaded Somerset to have 
him arrested for high treason. His condemnation and execution 
soon followed, and thus the wicked designs of Dudley were to that 
extent successful. . 



CHAPTER CXXXV. 

Consequences of the Suppression of the Religions Houses. — Somerset 
resigns the Protectorship. — Is condemned and executed for High 
Treason. — Warwick ruks the Country. — Many Books destroyed for 
the sake of their rich Ornaments. 

1. The destruction of the religious houses was a very severe 
measure upon large numbers of people. Some of the heads of 
these establishments were allowed small sums for their own sup- 
port ; but the monks and nuns were turned adrift, a helpless race of 
creatures, who could do but little towards their own maintenance. 

2. It was also a harsh proceeding to those farmers who had en- 
joyed the church lands at easy rents. There was a still more 
numerous class of suff'erers, the idle poor, who had been fed daily 
at the convent gates, and scarcely knew how to work. All these 
were now obliged to seek their daily bread by labor. 

3. In addition to the distresses of these persons, the industrious 
poor suffered greatly from a change which took jjlace about this 
time in the system of agriculture. Many arable farms were, on 
account of the high price of wool, turned into sheep-pastures; and 
a scarcity of corn, and a diminution of the demand for labor, were 
the consequences. These causes made the year 1549 a period of 
insurrections and tumults all over England. 

What effect had tliis invasion on the Scots? What resolution did they adopt? 7. AVhat 
induced Somerset to return to England? What of Lord Seymour? Whom did he marry? 
9. Who encouraged the opposition of Seymour? What was the result? 

CXXXV. — 1. What was one consequence of the destruction of the religious houses ? 



248 DISPOSAL OF THE KELIGIOUS HOUSES. 

4. The protector, who really felt a pity for the poor, did all in his 
power to relieve their distresses, and the commotions were quelled. 
But the protector gave oflence to tlie nobles by the great state and 
royal dignity which he assumed. He also displeased the people of 
London, by demolishing a church to erect a magnificent palace 
upon its site. This palace, after being the residence of many royal 
personages, was pulled down in 1775, and a grand edifice for the 
accommodation of the public officers erected. The name of Somer- 
set-house was still retained. 

5. A confederacy, headed by Warwick, was formed against the 
protector, who, seeing himself deserted by all except Cranmer and 
his secretary, Paget, resigned the protectorship. The government 
was intrusted to a council of regency, of which Warwick was the 
president. Not satisfied with the degradation of Somerset, War- 
wick, in 1551, accused him of a design to excite a rebellion. 

6. Upon this charge Somerset was tried, condemned, and exe- 
cuted, to the sincere grief of the people, to whom his goodness of 
heart had much endeared him. When he was beheaded, many 
rushed on the scaffold to dip their handkerchiefs in his blood, and 
these were preserved as memorials of him. 

7. Under Warwick the work of the reformation was carried on 
with more intemperate zeal. The good Archbishop Cranmer en- 
deavored to preserve to the popish clergy the scanty provision that 
still remained to them. But his integrity was no match for the 
avarice of the spoilers, whose rapacity nothing could escape. 

8. Under pretence of searching for forbidden books, the libraries 
of the Universities of Oxford, and that at Westminster, were rum- 
maged, and nil books witli gold or silver ornaments on their 
bindings were seized as being superstitious relics, and thus many 
valualde works were destroyed. 

9. Books in those days were commonly bound in parchment, and 
much ornamented. Sometimes the clasps and the corners of the 
covers were of gold or silver, and they were frequently secured to 
the shelves by long chains, to prevent their being carried away. 
One of the later kings, Charles I., had some books which Avere 
bound in velvet, and their clasps set with pearls and precious stones. 



CHAPTER CXXXVI. 

How the Religious Houses ivere disjmsed of. — Fashions of Dress. — Pins 
and Needles come into use. 

1. The reader may be curious to know what became of the old 
monasteries and nunneries. Some of them were, doubtless, levelled 
with the ground; others were left to decay, and their ruins still 

3. What other cause produced distress? What was the consequence? 4. How did the 
protector offend the nobles? 6, 7. Relate tlie rest of his story. 8. What of the progress 
of the Reformation? 9. Wliat of tlie binding of the books? 



FASHIONS OF HENRY VIII.'s TIME. — 1509-1547. 249 

remain, objects of admiration to lovers of relics of antiquity. Many 
were given to laymen, who converted them into dwelling-houses. 

2. Some of these still preserve much of their original monastic 
appearance. Others retain only the name. Woburn Abbey is one 
of these, where nothing of the establishment remains, except, per- 
haps, the old oaks, one of which is pointed out as the tree upon 
which the last abbot was hung, for refusing to give up his house to 
the king's commissioners. 

3. Henry bestowed many of the religious houses on his personal 
attendants. One was rewarded with some abbey lands for having 
wheeled his chair further from the fire, and a lady had a monastery 
given to her for making the king a dish of puddings which he liked. 
Many of the larger ones were converted to purposes of public util- 
ity. St. Stephen's Chapel was appropriated by Edward VI. to the 
meetings of the House of Commons, for which purpose it was used 
till its destruction by fire in 1834. 

4. Bethlehem Priory was converted into a hospital for lunatics, 
and its name corrupted into Bedlam Hospital. Another old relig- 
ious house was converted into a school by Edward VI., and is now 
known as Christ's Hospital. Here more than one thousand orphan 
boys are maintained and educated ; the blue coats and petticoats, 
and yellow stockings of the boys, still show the dress worn by chil- 
dren in the reign of the founder. 

• 5. The fashion of tlie dress of the men of this age is retained to 
this date by the yeomen of the guard, or king's beef-eaters, as they 
are vulgarly called. Some antiquaries suppose this name to be a 
corruption of biiffetiers, because it was part of their duty to guard 
the silver on the bitjfet or sideboard. Others derive it from the 
circumstance of there having been maintained for them a long oaken 
table, whereon roast beef, plum pudding, and other good cheer 
were to be daily seen smoking at one o'clock. The dress is scarlet ; 
the coat like a modern frock-coat, with yellow stripes. 

6. About the middle of the last century, in consequence of some 
jokes which were cut at the expense of the corps, whom some wag 
compared to boiled lobsters, the king ordered them to Avear white 
stockings. But George IV., who loved splendor and had a good 
taste, renewed the red hose, which, with the adoption of the white 
ruff, and large white gauntlets, or gloves, restored to the guard its 
ancient showy splendor. As Henry VIII. was a fat, burly man, 
the courtiers stuffed out their clothes, to make themselves look as 
big as he did ; though the rest of the dress was wide and baggy, the 
sleeves were made so tight, that some of the fine gentlemen had 
them sewed up every time they put them on. 

7. One would think that so troublesome a fashion must have been 
confined to the rich, who had plenty of time to waste upon trifles. 
But that the fashions of the courtiers were aped by people of much 
lower degree, is clear from the following story. John Drakes, a 
shoemaker, was a great admirer of Sir Philip Calthorp's style of 

CXXXVI. — 1. What became of the monasteries and nunneries? 3,4. Mention some 
that were appropriated to public uses. What of Christ's Hospital ? 5. By what body 
is the fashion of dress of this period still retained? 6. What of the fashions of Henry 



250 DUDLEY, DUKK OF NORTHUMBERLAND. 

dress, and prevailed with his tailor to make him some clothes which 
should be exactly like that gentleman's. 

8. Sir Philip having ordered a new cloak, the fellow to it was 
accordingly made for John Drakes, which the knight hearing of, 
gave directions to the tailor to cut little slits all over his cloak. As 
tlie shoemaker's cloak was to be exactly like Sir Philip's, the tailor 
cut it also in the same way ; and this, as the story goes, completely 
cured John Drakes of aping Sir Philip Calthorp. 

9. The convenience of ladies' dress was very much assisted about 
this time by the invention of pins. Before this, there were a vari- 
ety of contrivances for fastening clothes ; buttons, hooks and eyes, 
laces and loops ; and ladies used even wooden skewers to keep their 
dress in its proper place. Needles were not known till the reign of 
Mary, when a Moor came to London and made some there ; but, as 
he refused to discover his art, they were not manufactured in any 
considerable quantity till some time after. 

10. In the place of the large and fantastical head-dresses, which 
had been the vogue, ladies now wore coifs and velvet bonnets. 
Among gentlemen, long hair remained fashionable, through Europe, 
till the Emperor Charles devoted his locks for his health ; and Henry 
VIII., a tyrant even in matters of taste, gave efBcacy to the fashion 
by a peremptory order for his attendants and courtiers to poll their 
heads. 

11. The same spirit induced him to regulate the dress of his sub- " 
jects. Cloth of gold or tissue was reserved for dukes and mar- 
quises, and that of a purj^le color for the royal family. Silks and 
velvets were restricted to persons of wealth and distinction, and 
embroidery was forbidden to all beneath the dignity of an earl. 
Cuffs for the sleeves, and ruffs for the neck, were also the invention 
of Henry's reign. 



CHAPTER CXXXVII. 

Dudley marries his Son to Lady Jane Grey, whom Edward appoints 
to be his Successor. — Death of Edward VI. — Lady Jane Orey pro- 
claimed Queen by Dudley. — Her claims not acknowledged by the 
People, and she yields to Mary.— Character of Lady Jane. 

1. The young king was now completely in the power of Dudley, 
who was created Duke of Northumberland, and endowed with the 
vast possessions which had belonged to the former earl, and which 
had been forfeited to the crown. 

2. Having attained to this height of power and wealth, his ambi- 

VIII.'s time? 8. What invention assisted the toilet of the ladies? 0. How were clothes 
fastened before this time ? 10. What change in the head-dress? 11. Whnt regulations 
for dress ? 
CXXXVII.— 1. What of the ambition of Dudley? 2. To what did he try to persuade 



DEATH OF EDWARD VI. — 1563. 



251 



tion soared still higher, and he formed the project of raising one of 
his sons to the throne. He began by j)ersiiading Edward that the 
declaration of his sister's incai^acity to succeed him was irreversible, 
and that, consequently, as the Duchess of Suffolk had no sons, her 
eldest daughter, the Duchess of Dorset, was the undoubted heir to 
the crown. 










I.ADY JANE GKEY. 



3. The duchess, who had no son, was willing to resign her claim 
to her daughter, Lady Jane Grey, and Northumberland married 
her to his son, Gilbert Dudley. Edward felt no scruple about de- 
priving Mary of her birthright, fearing that her bigotry would be 
hurtful to the Protestant cause. 

4. But he felt many regrets in regard to Elizabeth, whom he 
affectionately loved, and used to call '• his dear sister Temperance." 
He, however, consented to settle the succession upon Lady Jane 
Grey. The instrument of settlement was to be signed by all the 
great officers of state ; when some of them hesitated to do so, 
Northumberland violently declared that he would fight anybody 
in his shirt, in so just a cause as that of Lady Jane's succession. 

5. Cranmer only yielded his consent to the pathetic entreaties of 
the king, and Sir James Hales, one of the judges, positively refused. 
From this time the king's health, which had before begun to decline, 
grew rapidly worse. Northumberland affected an anxious concern 
for him, waited on him with the most assiduous zeal, and dismissing 
his physicians, put him under the care of an ignorant old woman, 
who pretended to have a specific for his disease. 

6. pjdward was so far from receiving benefit from her treatment, 
that he soon after died, on the 6th of July, 1553, in the sixteenth 



the king? 3. To whom did Diitlley marry his son ? What relation was Lady Jane Grey 
to Edward? i. Did Edward yield to his persuasions? 5, 6. Relate the remaining par- 



252 LADY JANE GREY. — 1553. 

year of his age, and the seventh of his reign. His disease Avas 
probably consumption ; but the suspicions of the people attributed 
his death to slow poison, given to him by the Dudleys ; for it was 
remarked that his health had been declining from the time that 
Lord Robert Dudley was placed in close attendance upon his per- 
son. Robert was the son of the Duke of Northumberland, of whom 
we shall hear more under the title of Earl of Leicester. 

7. Northumberland did not at once proclaim the king's death, 
for he had not yet secured the persons of the two princesses. But 
they, having received intimation of their danger, put themselves 
in iplaces of safety. The reason for secrecy being thus removed, 
Northumberland proceeded in state to the residence of Lady Jane 
Grey, and saluted her as queen. 

8. She had been kept in a great measure ignorant of the duke's 
transactions, and now received intelligence of them with grief and 
surprise. She entreated that the dignity might not be forced upon 
her, and pleaded the superior claims of the two princesses. 

9. But the duke had gone too far to be stopped in his career by 
the scru])les of a girl of sixteen ; and Lady Jane, who was of a timid 
and gentle disposition, was soon overborne by the entreaties of her 
father and father-in-law, and suffered herself to be proclaimed ; 
and, in compliance with custom, removed to the Tower to pass the 
first days of her reign. 

10. She had not long to endure the cares of royalty, for North- 
umberland found few supporters in his scheme, and, after a joyless 
reign of ten days, Lady Jane returned to the privacy of her own 
house, and the Princess Mary took possession of the royal apart- 
ments in the Tower, amidst the loudest acclamations of the people, 
who dreaded the unprincipled character of the duke more than the 
stern bigotry of the Princess Mary. 

11. Lady'jane Grey Avas a singularly excellent woman. Being 
of the same age with the late king, she had received all her educa- 
tion with him, and seemed to possess even greater facility in acquir- 
ing knowledge. She had attained a familiar acquaintance with the 
Greek and Latin languages, beside modern tongues, 

12. Roger Ascham, tutor to the Princess Elizabeth, having one 
day paid her a visit, found her employed in reading Plato, while 
the rest of the family were engaged in a party of hunting in the 
park; and on his admiring the singularity of her choice, she told 
him that " she received more pleasure from that author than the 
others could reap from all their sports and gayety." 

13. In one version of the story it is added that she told Ascham 
that she applied to study as a refuge from the severity of her 
parents, who used to " so sharply taunt her, and give her pinches, 
nips, and bobs," if she displeased them in the slightest degree, that 
she was in constant misery in their presence. 



ficulars of Edward's life. When did lie die? lu what year of his age? of his reign? 
What of Robert Dudley? 7. Why did Dudley seek to conceal the king's death? AVhoni 
did he proclaim sovereign? 8. What were Lady Jane Grey's feelings? 10. Did she 
retain the sovereignty ? 11. What was her character? 



THE MANNERS OF QUEEN MARY's TIME. — 1553-1558. 253 



CHAPTER CXXXVIII. 

The Manners of Queen 3fary's Time. — The Houses of the Nobles. 
Some Particulars of the Mode of Housekeeping. 




DRESS OF QUEEN MARY'S TIME. 

1. From the observation at the close of the preceding chapter, 
we may conjecture that the treatment of children by their parents 
was quite diflerent from that adoj)ted at the present day. The 
harshness of the English towards their offspring excited formerly 
the surprise and condemnation of foreigners. 

2. Erasmus says that the Englisli were like schoolmasters to 
their children ; and that th.e schoolmasters Avere like overseers of 
houses of correction. Children trembled at the sight of their 
parents, and the sons, even when tliey were forty years old, stood 
bareheaded before their fathers, and did not dare to speak without 
permission. 

3. The grown-up daughters never sat down in their mother's 
presence, but stood in respectful silence at the farther end of the 
room, and when weary of standing, were perhaps allowed to kneel 
on a cushion. It was a privilege to be admitted to their presence 
at all, and it was only granted during short and stated jjeriods of 
the day. 

4. The ladies in Queen Mary's reign carried fans with handles a 
yard long. The use of these handles one would hardly guess ; for 



CXXXVIII.— 1, 2, 3. How were children treated formerly in England? 
22 



4. What wore 



254 HOUSES OF THE NOBLES AND HOUSEKEEPING. 

they were to beat their daughters with. After this account of the 
severity of parents, it need not surprise us to learn that the nobility 
were often em])luyed as jailers. 

5. When any person of rank was to be put under confinement, it 
was no uncommon thing to commit him to the custody of some 
nobleman, whose house was thus converted into a prison. Indeed, 
the dwellings of the nobility were so surrounded by walls that they 
seemed as if they had been built for prisons originally. 

6. Let us imagine that we enter one of these old houses, and look 
at things as they were two or three hundred years ago. We will 
begin our survey at the kitchen, where we should probably see, if it 
was before eleven o'clock in the day, a huge fire, with a monstrous 
piece of meat roasting before it, turned by a poor miserable boy, 
whose business it was to act as turnspit, before smoke-jacks and 
roasters were invented. 

7. Let us next proceed to the great hall, where the lord of the 
mansion passed the day, and which in the night we should find 
spread with beds for the men-servants to sleej) on. This hall we 
should observe to be covered with rushes, under which was the 
accumulated dirt of twenty years, for so iilthy were the English 
habits at this period, that Erasmus attributes to this circumstance 
the great prevalence of contagious disorders in England. 

8. An Earl of Northumberland, who lived in the reign of Henry 
VII., wrote a book of directions for the management of his house- 
hold. This is still preserved, and is called the Northumberland 
Household Book. In it the earl enters into the most minute 
particulars. 

9. He even directs the number of fagots to be allowed to each 
fire, and gives the items of what the men-servants were to have for 
their breakfast, and tlic number of bones of mutton that were to be 
provided for his own. The family consisted of 166 persons, and 
the allowance of meat and drink was quite suflicient, but the stock 
of house-linen was surprisingly small. 

10. There were only eight table-cloths "for my lord's table," and 
one for the upper servants, which was washed once a month. The 
earl divided the year between three different houses, but he had 
furniture only for one ; so that, when he removed from one to 
another, all his household goods were removed also, even to the 
saucepans for the kitchen. 

11. Everything was packed upon seventeen carts and one wagon ; 
and this might well be sufficient, since one large table and three 
long benches constituted the whole of the furniture of the state 
apartment. 

12. A removal at the present day is apt to make sad work with 
the china and glass; but there was no such danger in those days. 
Drinking-glasses were not made in England till the time of Queen 
Mary, and were at first considered more precious than silver. As 
for looking-glasses, there were very few in use, and these were prob- 

fans used for? 6, 7. Describe the dwellings of the nobles. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Relate some 
particulars of the mode of life. 



MORE ABOUT THE ENGLISH IN THE 16TH CENTURY. 255 

ably very small, and commonly carried by the ladies in their 
pockets, or hung to their girdles. 



CHAPTER CXXXIX. 

More about the Manner!^ of the EngUsh in the Sixteenth Centunj. 
About Commerce. — Disastrous Voyage of Sir Hugh Willoughby. 




SHIPS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 

1. The following amusing account of the manners of the English 
is written by a French priest, who visited England in the reign of 
Edward VI. We will give his own words: "The people of this 
country have a mortal aversion to the French, and in common call 
us France knave, or France dog. 

2. "The people of this land make good cheer, and dearly love 
junketing. The men are large, handsome, and ruddy, with flaxen 
hair. Their women are the greatest beauties in the world, and as 
fair as alabaster. The English in general are cheerful, and love 
music ; they are likewise great drunkards. 

3. " In tliis land they commonly make use of silver vessels when 
they drink wine. The servants wait on their masters bareheaded, 
and leave their caps on the buffet, (side-board.) It is noted that in 



CXXXIX.— 1, Z, 3, 4, 5. Relate what the French traveller says of the Eiiiilish in Ed- 



256 DISASTROUS FATE OF SIR HUGH WILLOUGHBY. — 1553. 

this excellent kingdom there is no kind of good order ; the people 
are reprobates, and thorough enemies of good manners. 

4. " In the windows of the houses are plenty of flowers, and at 
their taverns a plenty of rushes on their wooden floors, and many 
cushions of tapestry, on which travellers seat themselvf <. The 
English consume great quantities of beer ; the poor people drink 
out of wooden cu])s. They eat much whiter bread than is com- 
monly made in France. 

5. " With their beer they have a custom of eating very soft saff'ron 
cakes, in which are likewise raisins. It is likewise to be noted that 
the servants carry pointed bucklers, even those of bishops. And the 
husbandmen, when they till the ground, commonly have their buck- 
lers, swords, and sometimes their bows, in one corner of the field." 

6. To this account we may add, that the cookery was distin- 
guished for a profusion of hot spices; and that, at entertainments, 
the rank of the guests was discriminated by their position above or 
below the salt-cellar, which was placed invariably in the middle 
of the table. The chief servants always attended above the salt- 
cellar, below which the table was crowded with poor dependants, 
whom the guests despised, and tlie servants neglected. 

7. Before the Reformation, churchmen affected a greater state than 
the nobility. The Abbot of St. Albans dined alone at the middle of 
a table elevated fifteen steps above the floor of the hall, and the monks 
who served his dinner, at every fifth step performed a hymn. 

8. Commerce had heretofore been chiefly carried on by foreign 
merchants, who, from the place where they had been accustomed 
to transact their business, were called Merchants of the Steel Yard. 
But in the reign of Edward VI., many of the privileges of these 
merchants were taken from them, and the native English were 
encouraged to enter into trade. 

9. The discovery of America occasioned a greater demand for 
ships, and an increase of commerce, which had never at any former 
period flourished so much. There arose also an unusual demand 
for woollen cloth, which gave great encouragement to the English 
manufacturers, and first brought Wakefield and Leeds into notice 
as manufacturing towns. 

10. The spiritof enterprise which had distinguished the youth of 
Sebastian Cabot, was not wanting in his old age. In 1553, being 
the governor of the company of Merchant Adventurers, he fitted 
out an expedition, consisting of three vessels, under the command 
of Sir Hugh Willoughby, to attempt the discovery of a northeast 
passage to India. 

11. The fate of Sir Hugh, and the companies of two of the vessels, 
was most disastrous. Having jjut into a port of Lapland to winter, 
they were found there the next spring frozen to death. The third 
vessel, commanded by Eichard Chancelor, was more fortunate, who, 
having wintered at Archangel, and opened an intercourse with Eussia, 



ward VI. 's time. 6. Wliat nf the rookery? Of the entertainments? 7. What of the 
ponij) of the clerg:y ? 8. W'hat of tlie state of trade '! 9. What occasioned a demand for 
ships? 10,11. Wiiat discovery was made ? What new trade opened? 



CHARACTER OF QUEEN MARY. 



257 



reached home in safety. A company was formed to trade with 
Russia, of which Cabot was appointed governor for life. 



CHAPTER CXL. 

Queen Mary. — She restores the Popish Religion. — Persecution of Cran- 
mer. — Marrio,ge of the Queen. — Rebellion in consequence of it. — 
Execution of Lady Jane Grey. 




DEATH OF LADY JANE GREY. 



1. Mary was in her thirty-seventh year at the time of her brother's 
death. She possessed few qualities either estimable or amiable ; and 
her person was as little entraginc; as her behavior and address. She 
inherited her mother's gravity with her father's violence and obstinate 
temper; the natural sourness of which had been increased by the 
early mortifications to which she had been subjected. 

2. Her education had been almost entirely neglected. During her 
father's life she had lived for the most part in a si)ecies of confinement ; 
and though more at liberty during the reign of her brother, still she 



CXL.— 1, 2. What of Mary? 3. What was her first act? 4. What did she do in 
22* 



258 RESTORATION OF THE POPISH RELIGION. — 1553. 

led a dull and secluded life ; and the great affection and constant 
intercourse which subsisted between Edward and Elizabeth must 
have been a renewed source of unhappiuess to her. 

3. The first act of her reign led the people to hope that they had 
been deceived in her character. She restored to liberty the old 
Duke of Norfolk, who liad languished in prison, with his unexecuted 
sentence hanging over his head, ever since the death of Henry VIII. 
iSlie also exhibited moderation in the punishment of the supporters 
of Lady Jane Grey. Northumberland was the only man of rank 
who suffered death. Lady Jane and her husband were condemned 
to death, but on account of their youth and innocence they were 
not executed, but kept in prison. 

4. The next act of the queen was to reinstate Gardiner, Bonner, 
and Tonstall in their several bishoprics, of which they had been 
deprived in the last reign. With their assistance she hastened to 
overturn the fabric of the Reformation, and to restore the old re- 
ligion, and to replace everything on its old footing. 

5. The pope made some ditficulty about receiving within the pale 
of the church such a country of heretics as England ; but this was 
at length overcome, and Cardinal de la Pole was appointed legate, 
or the pope's representative, in England. But though Maiy could 
restore the rites and ceremonies of the Romish Church, she found it 
impossible to recover to their former uses the lands and buildings 
of the religious houses. 

6. Seeing the storm that was approaching, the foreign Protestants 
hastily left England, and the country thus lost the services of some 
of the most skilful artisans and mechanics. Many English gentle- 
men also left the country. Cranmer was advised to iiy ; but he said 
he had been too much concerned in every measure ol the Reforma- 
tion to desert its cause. 

7. The queen had early marked him for destruction. She was 
not of a temper to forget an injury, and hated him for the share he 
had had in her mother's divorce ; which the many good offices he 
had done to herself could never atone for in her eyes. Many times, 
as she well knew, the good archbishop had stood between her and 
her father's wrath. 

8. Upon one occasion Henry had determined on her death, and 
was only i^revented by Cranmer's remonstrances from putting his 
purpose in execution, while the time-serving Gardiner stood by 
without uttering a word in her behalf. But all these things were 
forgotten, and Cranmer was imprisoned in the common jail at Oxford. 

9. His life was spared for the present by the intervention of 
Gardiner, who knew that the queen intended, on Cranmer's death, 
to give the archbishopric to Cardinal de la Pole, a man whom he 
hated, because his mild and benignant disposition led him con- 
stantly to oppose his own violent and sanguinary counsels. 

10. The queen now turned her thoughts upon marriage. The 
engaging person and address of the young Courtcnay, Earl of Devon- 



regard to religion? 5. AVhat of the pope? 6. What did the Protestants do? 7. What 
of Cranmer? How had ho deserved well of Mary? 9. Why was his life spared? 



EXECUTION OF LADY JANE GREY. 1554. 259 

shire, a son of the Marquis of Exeter, liad made an imj^ression on 
her heart, of which he received many intimations. But the noble- 
man neglected these overtures, and seemed rather to attach himself 
to the Princess Elizabeth, whose youth and agreeable conversation 
he preferred to all the power and grandeur of her sister. 

11. The ancient quarrel between their mothers had sunk deep 
into the indignant heart of Mary; the attachment of Elizabeth to 
the reformed religion offended her bigotry; but when she found 
that her sister had obstructed her views in a point which, perhaps, 
touched her still more nearly, her resentment knew no bounds; 
and the princess was visibly exposed to the greatest danger. 

12. Courtenay's place in the queen's affection was soon supplied ; 
for, in 1554, she accepted proposals made to her by the Emperor 
Charles V. for a marriage with his only son, Philip. The match 
was exceedingly disliked by the English, who were well aware of 
Phili])'s cruelty and sullenness of temper. 

13. Although it was agreed that neither Philip nor any foreigner 
should have any share in the government, stiil so great an alarm 
was excited that a formidable insurrection broke out in Kent, which 
was headed by Sir Thomas Wyatt, who, having travelled in Spain, 
brought home such an account of Philip, as added to the previous 
horror entertained of him. 

14. The avowed object of the rebels was to dethrone Mary, and 
place Lady Jane Grey on the throne; but the want of an efficient 
leader rendered the project abortive. The rebels dispersed of their 
own accord, and Wyatt and 400 more Avere taken and executed. 
Soon afterwards Lady Jane Grey, whose fate it was always to suffer 
for the faults of others, was warned to prepare for death. 

15. Her constancy to the reformed religion could not be shaken, 
and she employed a portion of the little time left her in writing in 
Greek a farewell letter to her sister, exhorting her to be firm in her 
faith. Lord Guilford Dudley was also condemned to die, and en- 
treated to have a parting interview ; but Jane refused, lest the afflic- 
tion of such a meeting should overcome their fortitude. " Their 
separation," she said, "would be only for a moment; and they 
would soon rejoin each other in a scene where their affections 
would be forever united, and where nothing could have access to 
disturb their eternal happiness." 

16. She appeared on the scaffold with a serene countenance, and 
declared tliat she had greatly erred in not having more firmly re- 
fused the crown ; but that filial reverence, and not her own ambi- 
tion, had been the cause of her fault. Her father was beheaded 
soon after, and the queen became so suspicious that the prisons 
were filled with nobles and gentlemen. 

17. Mary now sent a fleet to escort Philip to England ; but the 
admiral informed her that he dared not receive him on board, lest 
the soldiers should commit some violence against him. Such was 
the detestation in which he was held. At last he arrived in a 

12. Whom did the queen marrj'? How did the English like the match? 13. What was 
the consequence? 15, 16. Relate the remaining particulars of Lady Jane Grey's life. 



260 



PERSECUTION OF THE PROTESTANTS. — 1556. 



vessel of his own, and the marriage was celebrated at Westminster 
in July, 1554. 



CHAPTER CXLI. 

Persecution of the Protestants. — Martyrdom of Latimer, Ridley, and 
Hooper. — Death of Gardiner. — Martyrdom of Oranmer. 



iim^:S^^ 




BURNING OF RIDIvEY AND LATIMER. 

1. From this time the chief business of parliament was to guard 
against the encroachments of Philip ; while Mary's only anxiety 
was to increase the power and inHuence of a husband on whom 
she doted with a troublesome fondness, though he, on his part, 
could with difficulty conceal his own dislike to his unengaging 
partner. 

2. On one subject, however, they were perfectly agreed, and that 
was the desire to extirpate heresy, even by the most violent and 
sanguinary measures. Gardiner entered fully into their views, but 
finding this work of cruelty more arduous than he had expected, 
he turned it over to Bonner, a man of such inhumanity of nature, 
that he even delighted to see the dying agonies of the sufferers, and 
would often take upon himself the office of executioner. 

CXLI. — 1. What wore tlio respective feelings of Philip and Mary for one another? 



MARTYRDOM OF RIDLEY AND LATIMER. 1555. 261 

3. In the course of the next three years, nearly 300 persons were 
burned alive, martyrs to their religion. Latimer and Ridley were 
among the first who suffered. Such was the inveteracy of Gar- 
diner against these two venerable and pious men, that, on the day 
of their death, he made a vow that he would not dine until he re- 
ceived information that fire was set to the fagots with which they 
were to be burned. 

4. Though the messenger did not arrive so soon as he expected, 
Gardiner would not break his vow, but kept the old Duke of Nor- 
folk, who was that day his guest, waiting from eleven (the then 
usual dinner-hour) till three o'clock. But when the desired intel- 
ligence arrived, and dinner was served up, Gardiner did not par- 
take of it ; for he was taken suddenly ill, and carried to his bed, 
from which he never rose. 

5. Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester, was another of the martyrs. 
When he was tied to the stake, the queen's pardon was placed on 
a stool before him; and if he would have recanted, he had but to 
stretch forth his hand to save his life ; but he would not purchase 
it at such a price. 

6. Gardiner's death hastened that of Cranmer. No opposition 
was now made to the queen's wish that he should be put to death, 
and he was condemned to be burned at Oxford. But the queen's 
resentment went further ; she wished to degrade him in the eyes of 
the whole world, and employed people to persuade him that his 
life was so valuable to his country that he ought to save it by any 
means. 

7. They were also authorized to promise him a pardon if he 
would recant — a promise, however, which Mary never meant to 
keep. In a moment of weakness Cranmer signed a paper, express- 
ing his belief in the popish doctrines ; but Mary sent him word 
that this was not sufticient, and that he must acknowledge his errors 
in the church, before the people. 

8. The strength of Cranmer's mind now returned ; and when he 
was brought forth to make his public recantation, instead of doing 
so he bitterly bewailed his weakness, and asserted his firm belief in 
the Protestant faith. He was, therefore, immediately led forth to 
execution. 

9. When the fagots were on fire, he stretched out his right hand, 
with which he had signed the paper, and held it in the flames till 
it was consumed, saying frequently, "This hand has offended;" 
then, as if his mind was more at ease for having made this atone- 
ment, his countenance became full of peaceful serenity, and he 
appeared insensible to all worldly sulfering. The next day Cardinal 
de la Pole was made Archbishop of Canterbury, and he showed so 
much lenity towards the Protestants as to excite the displeasure of 
the pope. 

2. In what ilid they agree? By whom seconded? 3. Who were among the tirst mar- 
tyrs? Relate tlie particulars of Gardiner's deatli. 5. What of Hooper's death? 7. 
What instance of Cranmer's weakness? 8, 9. Ili>w did he atone for it? 



262 BATTLE OF ST. QUENTIN. — 1657. 



CHAPTER CXLII. 

Philip leaves England. — War with France. — Arbitrary mode of raising 
Money. — Battle of St. Quentin. — The English lose Calais. — Death 
of Mary. 

1. Philip soon became weary of England, and went to Flanders ; 
and the queen, seeing herself treated witli indifference and neglect, 
spent her time in lamentations, and in writing long letters to him, 
which he never condescended to answer, perhaps never to read. 
The more he slighted her, the more she doted on him ; and to pro- 
cure money, in the hope of winning him back, she loaded the 
people witli taxes. 

2. In 1556, the Emperor Charles V., wearied with the cares of 
royalty, took the extraordinary resolution of resigning all his 
dominions to his son Phili]>, and of passing the remainder of his 
days in a monastery. Philip, who had the ambition but not the 
talents of his father, immediately declared war against France. 

3. The queen could not ])revail upon her council to give their 
consent to join it. When Philip, however, came to London, and 
protested that he would never set foot again in England, unless war 
was declared against France, the queen, almost frantic, pressed the 
matter so urgently as to overcome the reluctance of the council. 

4. War was declared ; but Mary's resources were already ex- 
hausted in furnishing Philip with money; and she was obliged to 
resort to the most unjust measures to extort the means of fitting 
out a fleet and raising an army. To deter the people from rising 
in rebellion, she caused many of the most considerable gentry to be 
imprisoned, and adopted the Spanish custom of having them seized 
in the night, and carried off hoodwinked, that they might not be 
known, nor see to what place they were conducted. 

5. The army took part in the battle of St. Quentin, in which 
Philip gained a comjilete victory over the French. But Mary's 
triumph at this success was of but short duration. Though every- 
thing else in France had been lost to the English, they had still 
preserved Calais, which had been guarded as the chief jewel of the 
crown by every sovereign, since Edward II., who obtained it. 

6. It had been strongly fortified, and so well garrisoned, that the 
French had never attempted to recover it. But in Mary's feeble 
reign the monks and bigots who composed her ministry thought 
more of burning heretics than of any other concern of state. They 
had neglected to keep the fortifications in repair, and to save the 
charge of what they supposed an unnecessary garrison, withdrew 
the greater jiart of it during the winter months. 

7. The Duke of Guise being well informed of all this, determined 
to attempt the recovery of the town. He accordingly appeared un- 

CXLTI. — 1. How did Philip treat Mary? 2. Wh^n did Philip become Kins of Spain? 
Wliat measure did ho adopt? 3. What did Mary do in consequence? Ihiw did she 
raise nioniy? 5. What victory was gained? What loss did tlie country sustain? 



DEATH OF MARY. 1658. 263 

expectedly before it, and, after a siege of eight days, made himself 
master of a fortress which had been deemed impregnable, and had 
been for two hundred years a thorn in the side of France. 

8. The news of this event struck a universal dismay throughout 
England, and the queen declared that, when she died, the word 
Calais would be found engraved upon her heart. In fact, her 
health declined visibly from this time. She dragged on a few 
miserable months, and died November 17, 1558, in the forty-third 
year of her age, and the sixth of her reign. 

9. Thus ended the life of this unhappy woman, who, by the bad- 
ness of her temper, made herself, and everybody about her, miserable. 
The Cardinal de la Pole died on the same day with the queen, and 
left an unsullied name behind him. 

FAMILY OF MARY. 

H USBAND. 

Philip, King of Spain, son of Charles V. 
She had no children. 



CHAPTER CXLIII. 

Elizabeth proclaimed Queen. — Her Character. — The Reformed Faith 
restored. — Reforms in Public Affairs. — Prosperous State of the 
Kingdom. 

1. When Mary's death was announced to the 2)arliament, which 
happened to be in session, the members all sprang from their seats ; 
and shouts of joy, and the words " God save Q,ueen Elizabeth !" 
were heard to resound on every side. When the news spread 
abroad, the transport of the people was so great that they hurried 
in crowds to Hatfield, where Elizabeth was then I'esiding, and 
escorted her in triumph to London. 

2. Elizabeth was now twenty-five years old. Her temper was 
very impetuous ; but there was a spirit and animation about her, 
with a cheerfulness and gayety of lieart which made her occasional 
bursts of passion to be overlooked and forgiven. There had been 
no opportunity for displaying that vanity and caprice, which, in 
her later years, made her both vexatious and ridiculous. 

3. She had a tall, commanding person ; her forehead was high 
and open, her nose aquiline, her complexion pale, and her hair in- 
clining to yellow. Her features were good, but the length and 
narrowness of her face prevented her from having any just preten- 
sions to beauty. 

4. The new queen seemed anxious to forget her former sufTeriugs, 
and never showed any resentment towards those who had been in- 

Relate Uio particulars. 8. When did the queen dio I lu what year of her age? Of her 
reign ? 9. Wlio died on the same day ? 
CXLIII. — 1. With what feelings was the news of Mary'.s death received? 2. What 



264 ELIZABETH. — HER CHARACTER. — 1558. 

strumental in inflicting them. Even Sir Richard Banefield, in 
whose custody she had been for a time, and whom she had found a 
most severe and churlish jailer, experienced no other punishment 
or rebuke than that of her telling him that he should have the cus- 
tody of any state prisoner whom she wished to have treated with 
peculiar severity. 

5. The cruel Bonner was the only one of her sister's ministers to 
Avhom she showed any marked dislike. When he came to make 
his obeisance to her, she turned from him with horror, and would 
neither speak to him nor look at him. The first great anxiety of 
the Protestants was to have a settlement of the affairs of the 
Church. Elizabeth proceeded with great prudence and caution, 
and soon restored the state of things which had existed at her 
brother's death, and all without one drop of blood being spilled, or 
a single estate confiscated. 

6. At the same time the queen was busily employed in arranging 
the other affairs of her kingdom. The coins, though nominally of 
the same value as heretofore, had been debased during the three 
last reigns, by an undue mixture of inferior metals. Elizabeth 
called in this base money, and issued coin of the standard value. 
She filled her arsenals with arms, and introduced the manufacture 
of gunpowder into England; the militia were well disciplined; and, 
in short, the country was put in a complete state of defence. 

7. She encouraged agriculture, trade, and navigation, and in- 
creased her navy so much that she has been called "the queen of 
the northern seas." Her wise government was respected abroad 
and jjrosperous at home. She was extremely sagacious in the 
choice of ministers ; Lord Burleigh, her treasurer, and Walsing- 
ham, her secretary, were men of extraordinary abilities and 
integrity. 

8. While affairs were managed with so much vigor and success, 
the people were scarcely aware in how great a degree their sharp- 
witted queen kept enlarging her prerogatives, nor how much their 
liberties were infringed. In all cases in which her own authority 
was concerned, she was decided and peremptory ; and she had 
generally such good reasons to give for all she did, and was so 
frugal of expense, that the mass of the people, though kept in great 
subjection, were enthusiastically fond of her. 

of the character of Elizabeth? 4. What of her person? 5. How did she treat her ene- 
mies? What of the Churcli? 6. What measure did slie adopt in state afliurs? 7. What 
of her conduct in general? Wlio were her chief ministers ? 8. What of tlie people? 



A GLIMPSE AT THE COURT OF ELIZABETH. 265 



CHAPTER CXLIV. 

A Glimpse at the Inferior of Elizabeth's Court. — Robert Dudley. — 
Many Suitors for the Queen's hand. — She declares that she will never 
marry. 

1. The intei'ior of the court of Elizabeth presented a most extra- 
ordinary scene. The rivalries and jealousies of the courtiers were 
a continual source of discord. The queen herself encouraged their 
rivalries in order to retain them in more subservience to herself; 
and certainly the awe other, which they seem to have felt, and the 
flattery they offered up to her, ajjpear to us quite unaccountable 
and ridiculous. 

2. But though she liked and required adulation, she had too 
much sense to be wholly blinded by it. She saw the follies of 
those about her, and turned them to her own purpose, and seemed 
to manage her courtiers much like puppets, by wires that were out 
of sight. She intrusted all aliairs of state to men of sense, but she 
filled her court with frivolous characters, with whom she could 
unbend from the cares of royalty. 

3. Having a gay and lively disposition, she sometimes treated 
them with an extraordinary degree of familiarity, or, as it would 
appear to us, strange rudeness, such as slapping them on their 
back, and patting their cheeks. But if any of them presumed 
upon this freedom, she could instantly resume her dignity, and by 
a severe look, or a cutting word, check all further frowardness. 

4. She knew very well how to keep up her own dignity. One 
writer thus speaks of her: "She is the very image of majesty and 
magnificence." He goes on to say, " She is accustomed to march 
with leisure, and with a certain granditie rather than gravity, unless 
it be when she walketh apace for her pleasure, or to catch a heat in 
cold weather." 

5. Her chief favorite was Robert Dudley, whom she created Ear] 
of Leicester. His handsome person and pleasing address gained for 
him the queen's favor, and his assiduous attentions, which were 
pleasing to her vanity, retained it for him. He was guilty of many 
infamous crimes, but he had the art of deceiving the queen, both 
as to his merits and his abilities, and continued in favor till his 
death, in 1588. 

6. As we may suppose, there were many suitors for the hand of 
Elizabeth. No sooner did Philip hear of Mary's death than ho 
proposed himself in marriage to her successor. Elizabeth delayed 
giving an answer as long as she could, and when she sent her re- 
fusal, she took the opportunity of declaring to her parliament a 
determination to lead a single life. 

7. Notwithstanding this declaration, she some time afterwards 
admitted the addresses of the Duke of Anjou, brother to the King 

CXLIV.— 1. What of the state of Elizabeth's court? 3. How did she treat her courtiers? 
23 



266 



ELIZABETH S COSTUME. 



of France. After keeping him a long time in suspense, she at last 
broke off the match, probably through fear of lessening her own 
authority if she admitted another to share it. 

8. In the year 1563, Elizabeth caught the small-pox, and for 
some days her life was considered to be in danger. Upon her re- 
covery, the parliament besought her either to marry or to name 
her successor. Both these requests were very displeasing to Eliza- 
beth. She gave them encouragement, however, that at some day 
or other she would marry. 

9. Immediately on this declaration she was beset with princely 
suitors ; but, either from coquetry or policy, she always avoided, as 
long as possible, the giving a decisive answer, and kept all persons, 
both friends and enemies, in entire suspense as to her real intentions. 



CHAPTER CXLV. 

Elizabeth'' s Costume. — Tlie Queen of Scots. 




PORTRAIT OF MARY, QUEKN OF SCOTS. 

1. The courtiers of Elizabeth would fain have persuaded her that 
she was free from all the bad qualities and above all the weaknesses 
incident to human nature ; but we, who are safe from her capricious 



6. Who was her cliiff favoriti'? What of Robert Dudley ? 6, 7. What suitors had she? 
What declaration did sh^^ make? S, 9. Did she modify tliis at all? 



MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. — 1542-1587. 267 

and vindictive temper, may venture to declare that she possessed 
some of them in no ordinary degree. 

2. Her excessive personal vanity led her to encourage painting, 
because she was never tired of seeing portraits of herself. A pale 
Eoman nose, a head of hair loaded with pearls, and powdered with 
diamonds, a large ruff, and a still larger fardingale, are the features 
by which we may recognize Elizabeth. 

3. This was, perhaps, a harmless exhibition of vanity, but the 
weakness, with the consequent jealousy, led her to the commission 
of a crime which has left an indelible stain on her character. This 
was her savage treatment, and murder, under the forms of law, of 
the beautiful and unfortunate Mary, Queen of Scots. 

4. This princess, at the age of sixteen, was married to the dauphin, 
afterwards King of France, by the title of Francis II. The exquisite 
beauty and graceful manners of Mary, gained for her unbounded 
influence over her husband, to the great disappointment of her 
ambitious and wicked mother-in-law, Catharine de Medicis, who 
aspired to rule. 

5. For seventeen months Mary presided over the most brilliant 
and polished court in Europe, and entered eagerly into all its 
amusements. At the end of that period the death of her husband 
put an end to her happiness. Although she was now subjected to 
all the mortifications that the malice of Catharine could invent, she 
yet lingered in France ; her attachment to that country and her early 
associations making her reluctant to return to her native country. 

6. At length the impatience and clamors of her subjects compelled 
her to return. When she was in the shijj that was to carry her 
over, she fixed her eyes on the coast of her beloved France till the 
darkness of evening would not allow her to see it any longer. She 
then had a couch brought on deck, on which she lay down to sleep, 
giving orders that if, on the return of dayliglit, the French coast 
should be still in sight, she should be awakened. 

7. During the night the vessel made little progress, so that in the 
moi-ning she had another parting view of the country which she 
loved so well. Her regret at leaving it she expressed in some 
pathetic French verses, very expressive of her feelings at the time. 
The contrast between the country she left, and that which she now 
came to inherit, increased her melancholy, and the rude and savage 
manners of the Scots filled her with disgust. 

8. This disgust was increased by difference of religion. Mary had 
been brought up a strict Catholic ; and the Reformation, which had 
now made great progress in Scotland, was not marked there with 
the same mild spirit which had distinguished it in England. The 
Scotch reformers were men of rigid zeal, and were shocked at the 
gayety and amusement so becoming and natural in a girl of nineteen. 

9. Though Elizabeth was as much superior to Mary in political abil- 

CXTjV. — 1, 2. What evidence of weakness in Elizabeth ? 3. What crime did her van- 
ity lead her to commit? 4,5. What of Mary Queen of Scots' life in France? 6. Why 
did she return to Scotland? What were her feelings at leaving France? 7. How did 
she express them? How did she feel after her arrival in Scotland? 8. What increased 
her disgust? What of the Reformation in Scotland? 9. What were Elizabeth's feel- 



268 MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. — 1542-16S7. 

ities as she was inferior to lier in beauty and gracefulness of j^erson, 
she was weak enough to envy and hate her as a rival by wliom she 
was eclipsed. This hatred was increased by the fear of Mary's pre- 
tensions to the crown of England, which Avere founded upon Henry 
VIII.'s declaration of her own incapacity to inherit it. 

10. Mary had never attempted to enforce these pretensions ; on 
the contrary, contenting herself with her undoubted right to succeed 
upon the death of Elizabeth, she aftected to treat that princess with 
the greatest respect. Both queens, indeed, pretended extraordinary 
regard for one another, and styled themselves, in their letters, " lov- 
ing sister." But J^lizabeth was all the w'hile secretly exciting the 
Scots to rebellion. 



CHAPTER CXLVI. 

Continuation of the Story of Mary. 

1. Mary, having been urged by her council to a second marriage, 
paid Elizabeth the compliment to apply to her to choose a suitable 
match for her. Elizabeth's wish was that her " loving sister " should 
remain a widow. Indeed, it was one of the weaknesses of this great 
queen to have the utmost dislike of any person's marrying ; and she 
plagued and persecuted many of her own subjects, for no other 
reason than because they did not choose to live single like herself. 

2. Having proposed two or three matches for Mary, which she 
knew she would not accept, she pretended to be exceedingly dis- 
pleased with her when she at last chose for herself, and married her 
cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. He was the grandson of Mar- 
garet, sister to Henry VIII., and her second husband, Lord Angus. 

3. Darnley was a papist, and on that account the marriage was 
opposed by the reformers, at the head of whom was John Knox, 
who gave just cause of offence to the queen, by the violence with 
which he inveighed against it at a personal interview. It would 
have been fortunate for Mary, had she listened to the remonstrants. 
She had been captivated by the beauty and exterior accomplish- 
ments of Darnley, and quite overlooked the qualities of his mind. 

4. These by no means corresponded with the excellence of his 
outside figure. He was violent, fickle, insolent, and ungrateful, 
and soon came to treat his wife with great indifference and neglect. 
This conduct deprived him of that influence over her, which, in the 
early period of their marriage, had made him the source from 
whence flowed all honors and preferments, and which had gained 
for himself the title of king. 

iugs towards Mary? What increased Elizabeth's hatred? 10. How did they publicly 
treat each other? 

CXLVI. — 1. What compliment did Mary pay to Elizabeth? What were Elizabeth's 
wishes abont Mary's marrying? What her feelings about marriaso in general? 2. 
Whom did ifary marry? 3. Why was the marriage opposed? 4. What of Darnley? 



MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. — 1542-1567. 269 

5. This change in the queen he imputed to the influence of some 
of those about her, and sought for an object on whom to wreak his 
vengeance. Tliere was in the court an Italian musician, named 
David Rizzio, who had lately acquired a great degree of confidence 
and favor with the queen, and had *been made her secretary, 
Tliose who were themselves envious of Rizzio's fortune, found no 
difficulty in exciting the jealousy of Darnley. 

6. One evening, when the queen was at supper with the secre- 
tary and some of the ladies of her court, Darnley, with a company 
of armed nobles, rushed into the room, and one of them, reaching 
over the queen's shoulder, stabbed E.izzio, as he clung to her gar- 
ments for protection. 

7. Some time afterwards the king was taken sick, when, to the 
surprise of every one, the queen paid him a visit, and took him 
with her to her palace of Holyrood House, and was to all appear- 
ance reconciled to him. The position of this palace in the city of 
Edinburgh, and upon low ground, and the noise of the court, fur- 
nished reasons for removing the king to a house in a more airy and 
retired situation. The queen accompanied him, and for several 
days attended upon him with every appearance of regard. 

8. The marriage of one of her women, which was to be cele- 
brated in her presence, obliged the queen to pass the night of the 
9th of February, 15(37, at her palace. About two o'clock on the 
morning of the 10th, the whole town was aroused by a great noise 
at the king's house, which was blown up by gunpowtler. The 
king's lifeless body was found at some distance. 



CHAPTER CXLVIl. 

Continuation of the Story of Mary. — She seeks a Refuge in England 
from her rebellious Subjects. 

1. There could be no doubt that the king's death was produced 
by design ; and ijublic opinion at once fixed on the Earl of Both- 
well as his murderer. The earl was a man of considerable abilities 
and of boundless ambition, which, unrestrained by any religious or 
moral principles, Avould not scruple at the commission of any crime 
for its gratification. 

2. He was one of the handsomest men of the age, and the cour- 
tesy of his manners contrasted favorably with the rude and savage 
demeanor of the majority of the Scotch nobles. Being in the 
palace at the time of Rizzio's murder, he had hastened to the 
assistance of the queen, and this service, with his constant deference 
and assiduity, gained for him her favor. 

6. Upon wliom did Darnley take vengeance? 7. What was Marj's subsequent treatment 
of Darnley? 8. Relate the particulars of his death. 
CXLVIl.— 1. Upon whom did the public charge the murder of Darnley? 2. What of 

23 * 



270 MARY SEEKS A KEFUGE IN ENGLAND. — 1568. 

3. The influence which he soon acquired over her, led him to be- 
lieve that the kinoj was the only impediment to his arriving at the 
highest oflice. We have just stated the mode in which this impedi- 
ment was removed. Bothwell was tried for the murder of the king 
and acquitted ; for no one dared to apjjear as witness against a man 
of his influence, and who came to the place of trial attended, not only 
by his own retainers and vassals, but by a body of hired soldiers. 

4. Bothwell's next step was even more bold ; accompanied by a 
thousand armed men, he attacked the queen as she journeyed upon 
the road, and, dispersing her escort, carried her a prisoner to Dun- 
bar. Although this was done apparently by violence, there were 
many who believed that the queen was a willing ^jrisoner; for, so 
far from resenting the outrage, she not long after gave her hand in 
marriage to the offender. The reformers had uniformly maintained 
that the murder of Darnley had been conunitted with the previous 
knowledge and consent of the queen ; her marriage with his mur- 
derer seemed to justify and confirm this opinion. 

5. The question of her guilt or innocence has been sharply con- 
tested from that day to this. We have not space to detail the 
arguments on both sides. The facts adduced against her may, 
perhaps, be reconciled with her innocence. She was thoughtless 
and imprudent, and her education at the court of France was not 
favorable to the growth of religious principles ; but there was 
nothing in her disposition which can make us sujipose her capable 
of so monstrous a crime. 

6. Although a large portion of the nobles of all parties, and of 
both religions, had in writing requested the queen to marry Bothwell, 
yet nearly the whole country now rose in arms against her. She was 
taken by her enemies and imprisoned at Lochlcven Castle, where she 
was compelled to sign a resignatioji of her kingdom to her infant son, 
who was accordingly crowned by the title of James VI. The Earl of 
Murray, a half-brother of Mary, was made regent of the kingdom. 

7. Bothwell meantime had fled from the country ; and after lead- 
ing a wandering and wretched life, supporting himself by piracy, he 
was at last thrown into prison in Denmark. He fell into a state 
of insanity, and lingered ten miserable years in that condition. 

8. Through the romantic attachment of Geoi'ge Douglas, brother 
to the Lord of Lochleven, Mary made her escape, and, raising an army, 
encountered Murray at Langside; but her troops were completely 
defeated ; and she, having watched the battle from a neighboring 
eminence, fled from the field, and never paused till she gained the 
banks of a little river, which divides England from Scotland. 

9. Here the Bishop of St. Andrews, who had accompanied her 
flight, caught hold of the bridle of her horse, and on his knees be- 
sought her to turn back; but she, preferring to trust to Elizabeth's 
generosity, rather than again encounter the insults of her own sub- 
jects, rushed through the stream to the other side. She sent forward 

BothweU ? 3. To what did Bothwell aspire? 4. What step did he take to accomplish 
his object? 6. What was the consequence of the queen's marrying him? 7. What be- 
came of Bothwell? 8. What followed Mary's escape from imprisonment" 9. Relate 
what happened to her after the defeat of her troops. 



ELIZABETH DETAINS MARY A PRISONER. 1568. 271 

a messenger with a letter informing Elizabeth of the step she had 
taken, and herself proceeded to Carlisle to await the answer. 
V 10. A contemporary letter-writer tells us, " There are six wait- 
. ing-gentlewomen with her, although none of account except Mrs. 
Mary Seaton, who is praised as being the best busker (dresser) of a 
woman's head, that is to be seen in any country. Whereof we 
have seen divers experiences since her coming hither ; and, amongst 
other pretty devices, yesterday she did set such a curled hair upon 
the queen, that was said to be a periwig, and that showed very 
delicately." 



CHAPTER CXLVIII. 

Elizabeth detaim Mary as a Prisoner. — Plans for her Rescue. — The 
Duke of Norfolk is detected in such a Project, and executed. 

1. Whatever Elizabeth's thoughts were on receiving Mary's 
letter, she concealed them with great dissimulation, and, pretend- 
ing the utmost friendship for that unhappy queen, declared that 
before she could be received at the English court, it was necessary 
for Mary's honor, and her own satisfaction, that she should be 
cleared of the heavy charges made against her. Lady Scrope was 
sent under pretence of attending on her, but in reality to detain 
her in a sort of imprisonment. 

2. Mary agreed to submit the matters in dispute between herself 
and her subjects to Elizabeth, who appointed commissioners to hear 
the parties. Mary appeared by representatives, and Murray attended 
in person. After a tedious succession of protestations and letters, 
in which both parties acted with great duplicity, and seemed 
equally afraid of arriving at the truth, the conferences ended with- 
out any definite result. 

3. Elizabeth now declared that as Mary was by no means cleared 
by the investigation, she was herself justified not only in refusing 
to see her, but even in detaining her a prisoner; and she now 
placed her in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury. At first 
Mary was allowed to receive visitors, and her eloquence convinced 
every one who conversed with her of her innocence, however they 
might have been prepossessed with an opinion of her guilt. 

4. The papists, too, all took her part, believing that Elizabeth's 
jealousy towards her was partly on account of her religion. Eliza- 
beth soon had reason to repent of her crooked policy in detaining 
Mary, for she was subjected to a succession of alarms of insurrec- 
tion and assassination. She took advantage of one of the earliest 
attempts at rebellion to subject Mary to more rigid confinement 

CXLVIII.— 1. What reply did Elizabeth make to Mary's letter? 2. What did Mary 
agree to? What was the result? 3. What treatment did she afterwards receive? 4. 



272 PLANS FOR mart's RESCUE. 1671. 

and to forbid her having any intei'course with persons not of Lord 
Shrewsbury's family. 

5. It was very easy to forbid, but more difficult tt) prevent, for 
Mary and her friends were ever on the alert. But Elizabeth's 
ministers were likewise vigilant ; for Lord Burleigh, in one of his 
letters, desires Lord Shrewsbury "to be on the watch for a boy who 
was bringing letters from Scotland for Mary," adding, that "he 
might be known by a cut on his left cheek, and that the letters 
were sewed up in the seams and buttons of his coat." 

6. Indeed, Shrewsbury was hardly less a i^risoner than the queen, 
being never permitted to leave his own house, nor to invite any of 
his friends to come to see him. He was even severely reprimanded 
as having neglected his charge by taking a little ride one day for 
exercise ; and Elizabeth was constantly tormenting him by her sus- 
picions of his being too indulgent. 

7. The immense wealth and the splendor of the family of the 
Duke of Norfolk rendered him, beyond all question, the second 
person in the kingdom, and the qualities of his mind well cor- 
responded with his high station. He enjoyed the good opinion of 
both the religious parties, and was equally in favor with the queen 
and the jieople. 

8. He entered heartily into the cause of the Queen of Scots, and 
carried on a corresj^ondence with her, though so secretly that even 
the vigilant Burleigh did not for some time discover it. At last, in 
1571, Mary wishing to send some money to her friends in Scotland, 
Barrister, a confidential servant of the duke, was the person fixed 
on to take it. 

9. The money, and a letter which was to accompany it, were sent 
to Barrister by a person not in the secret ; and he, perceiving that 
there was some mystery, took the letter to Lord Burleigh, wlio thus 
discovered that the duke was conspiring with Mary to dethrone 
Elizabeth. Norfolk was brought to trial, and, believing that some 
papers had been destroyed which he ordered his secretary to burn, 
denied being concerned in the plot. 

10. But these papers, instead of being destroyed, had been hidden 
by the secretary beneath the mats in the duke's chamber, and under 
the tiles of the house, and were produced at his trial to prove his 
guilt. He was condemned to death, and the sentence was executed 
June 2d, 1572. Elizabeth declared, with what sincerity we cannot 
say, that she could have forgiven him, if, instead of denying his 
guilt, he had made a free confession. 

What was a Cdiisequence of Elizabetli's crooked policy? 5. What severe measures did 
nhe adopt towards Mary? 7. What of the Duke of Norfolk? 8. Of his correspondence 
with Marv? How was it discovered by Burleigh? 10. What became of Norfolk? 



PLOT TO ASSASSINATE ELIZABETH. — 1586. 273 



CHAPTER CXLIX. 

A new Plot in favor of Mary is detected, and the Conspirators pun- 
ished.^Mary is put to Death by order of Elizabeth. 

1. Mary passed sixteen weary years in the custody of the Earl 
of Shrewsbury, at the end of which time Elizabeth, thinking him 
too indulgent, relieved him of his onerous charge. During this long 
period, Mary had never ceased plotting to recover her liberty. 

2. The papists, who hoped through her means to re-establish 
their religion in England, formed, in 1586, a plot to assassinate 
Elizabeth, and to place Mary on the throne. The arrangements 
were made known to Mary by means of letters conveyed to her 
through a chink in the wall; and her answer's, expressing her 
approbation, were returned in the same way. 

3. But with all their secrecy the plotters could not escape the 
vigilance of the ministers. Indeed, the man who carried the letters 
was a spy of the government, and constantly brought them to 
Walsingbam, one of Elizabeth's secretaries of state, to read. They 
were then re-sealed, and taken to the persons they were meant for, 
who did not discover the treachery of their messenger. 

4. When Walsingham had obtained the information he wanted, 
he thought it time to secure the conspirators ; fourteen of whom 
were condemned and executed, before Mary had any idea that the 
plot was discovered. One day, as she was taking the air on horse- 
back, she was met by a messenger from Elizabeth, who informed 
her of the death of her friends, and that she must set off instantly, 
without returning to the house, or making any preparations, for 
Fotheringay Castle, in Northami^tonshire. 

5. Commissioners soon made their appearance to try her for the 
part she had taken in the late conspiracy. That she had assented 
to it, Avas clearly proven, and, on the 25th of October, 1586, sen- 
tence of death was pronounced upon her. The news of this proce- 
dure excited the utmost astonishment in other countries. 

6. The young King of Scotland sent an urgent remonstrance to 
Elizabeth, on her unjustifiable conduct towards his mother. Whether 
he was sincere in this, has been doubted ; he had been brought up 
by the Scottish reformers, and had been taught from his infancy to 
consider her a very wicked woman. It is certain that one of his 
ambassadors secretly advised Elizabeth not to spare Mary. 

7. Elizabeth affected the utmost reluctance to execute the sen- 
tence, and some of her courtiers thought her sighs and tears were 
those of sincere regret. At length, after some months of duplicity 
and apparent indecision, she signed the death-warrant, or order for 
Mary's death. But when she found it had been despatched to 

CXLIX. — 1. How long did Mary remain in Shrewsbury's charge? 2. By whom was 
a new plot formed? 3. How detected? 4. What was the result? 5. AVhat was the 
consequence to Mary? What effect did tlie news of her condemnation produce? 6. 
What did Mary's son do? 7. What appearance did Elizabeth assume? What artifice 



274 CONDEMNATION AND DEATH OF MARY. — 1587. 

Fotheringay, she expressed the most violent displeasure at the 
hasty officiousness of her servants, in hopes, by such an artifice, to 
transfer to them the blame of Mary's death. 

8. On the 6th of February, 1587, the Avarrant was brought to 
Fotheringay by the Earls of Shrewsbury and Kent, who informed 
Mary that she must prepare for death the next morning. She re- 
ceived their message with composure, and employed herself during 
the rest of the day in writing letters, in dividing the few valuables 
she had among her attendants, and taking leave of them. 

9. She retired to rest at her usual time, but arose after a few 
hours' sleep, and spent the rest of the night in prayer. The follow- 
ing Latin petition was composed by her at this time : 

Doniine Deus, speravi in tc ! 

care mi Jesu, nunc libera me! 

In dura catena, in miscra poena desidero te ! 

Languendo, gemendo, et genuflectendo, 

Adora, implora, ut liberes me ! 

10. Towards morning she attired herself in the only rich dress 
she had reserved — a black satin gown, trimmed with pearls and 
jet, over a crimson velvet petticoat. A white lawn veil was thrown 
over her head ; and when she was summoned to the hall where she was 
to die, she took a crucifix and prayer-book in her hand, and walked 
Avith a serene and composed countenance. She was met on the 
way by her faithful servant, Andrew Melvil, who flung himself on 
his knees before her, and burst into an agony of grief. 

11. Mary endeavored to console him with the utmost firmness; 
but, on charging him with her last message to her son, she melted 
into tears. She then entered the hall in which the scafibld had 
been raised, and saw, with an undismayed countenance, the two 
executioners standing there, and all the preparations for her death. 

12. After some time spent in prayer, she began, with the aid of 
her women, to unrobe herself; and, seeing them ready to break 
forth into tears and lamentations, she made to them, by putting 
her finger to her lips, a sign to forbear. She then gave them her 
blessing ; a handkerchief was bound round her eyes, and without 
any visible trepidation she laid her head ujjon the block, and with 
two strokes it was severed from her body. 

13. There was at least one other servant who remained faithful 
to his mistress; this was her favorite little dog, which had concealed 
itself among the folds of her dress, and could with difficulty be re- 
moved from her body. Thus perished this unfortunate princess, in 
the forty-fifth year of her age. She had been a queen almost from 
the hour of her birth. From the age of six to that of nineteen she 
had been trained to levity and dissipation in the French court. 

14. From her nineteenth to lier twenty-seventh year she had lived 
in Scotland, in a succession of follies and sorrows, and in the midst of 
enemies. The remaining nineteen years of her life she had jjassed in 

did she use? 8. How was Maiy affected by the arrival of the death-warrant? 10, 11, 
12. Relate the particulars of her death. 13. How old was she? How had the different 



THE INVINCIBLE ARMADA. 1588. 



275 



a miserable captivity. But time and affliction had neither subdued 
her spirit, nor wliolly destroyed that exti-aordinary beauty which 
had first excited the hatred of her more cool and politic rival. 

15. When the news of the execution Avas brought to Elizabeth, 
she thought it necessary to assume the appearance of excessive 
grief; she wore mourning, and for some days shut herself up with 
only her women. The King of Scotland expressed great resent- 
ment at the murder of his mother, and threatened Elizabeth with a 
war, but she found means to appease the indignation of a sovereign 
who was not of a very wai'like disposition. 



CHAPTER CL. 



The Invincible Armada.— Elizabeth displays great Vigor, and her Sub- 
jects great Courage and Zeal. — The Spaniards entirely defeated. 




BEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA. 

1. We have spent so much time in detailing the painful, yet in- 
teresting, story of Queen Mary, that we must pass rapidly over the 
rest of Elizabeth's reign. The Invincible Armada makes a consid- 
erable figure in history. This was a great fleet and army fitted out 
by Philip II., of Spain, with wliich he hoped to overwhelm Great 
Britain. 

2. Elizabeth could muster but a small naval force to withstand 
this imposing array ; but she was undismayed; for she relied with 
confidence on the superior skill and bravery of her seamen and 



periods of her life been spent? 15. How did Elizabeth behave after the death of 
Mary ? 
CL. — 1. What was the Invincible Armada? 2. Who were the officers of the English 



276 DISPERSION OF THE ARMADA. 15S8. 

officers. Her fleet was commanded by Lord Howard, of Effing- 
ham. Under him served Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, all of 
whom were much distinguished as naval commanders. 

3. The land forces, which were inferior in number and discipline 
to those of Philip, were posted wherever it was thought likely the 
Spaniards would land. The vigor and prudence exhibited by the 
queen inspired the people with courage. She appeared on horse- 
back at the camp at Tilbury, where Leicester was in command, 
and riding through the ranks, roused, by an animated speech, the 
enthusiasm of the soldiers. 

4. Amongst other things she said to them, " I know I have the 
body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, 
and of a king of England too; and think proud sccn-n that Parma, 
or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the bor- 
ders of my realms; to which, rather than any dishonor shall grow 
by me, I will myself take up arms." 

5. The Armada, as it approached Lizard Point, was descried by 
a Scotch pirate, who was cruising in those seas, and he, hoisting 
every sail, hastened to give notice of the enemy's approach. The 
information was Avell timed, for Effingham had just time to get out 
of port; if he had been shut up there, his superior naval skill 
would have been useless, and his fleet would have been destroyed 
by the superior force of the enemy. 

6. He was hardly out before he saw the Invincible Armada coming 
full sail towards him in the form of a crescent, and stretching over a 
distance of seven miles. He soon perceived that the Spanish ships 
were ill built and unmanageable, and his chief fear was, that these 
huge vessels might run upon, and, by their weight, sink his own. 

7. But their great size proved of advantage to him, for whilst the 
Spanish shot all passed over the heads of his people, his own had 
a large mark. In the mean time vessels poured forth from every 
English port, and, joining Eflingham, hovered upon the skirts of 
the enemy, cutting olf such ships as were so unlucky as to be sepa- 
rated from the rest. 

8. Vessels filled with combustibles were set fire to, and sent into 
the midst of the Spanish fleet, which dispersed in the utmost alarm. 
By this warfare the enemy was nearly disabled, while the English 
had lost only one small vessel ; and the Spanish commander deter- 
mined to return home. 

9. The wind being contrary, he was obliged to sail to the north 
to make the circuit of Scotland ; but the English still pursued, and 
had their ammunition held out, would probably have taken every 
vessel. As it was, very few escaped, for the tempests lent their aid 
in the work of destruction. Those Spaniards who lived to return 
home, gave such accounts of the bravery of the English, and the 
tremendous dangers of their coasts, as eflectually repressed all in- 
clination to attempt another invasion. 

fleet? 3. Wliiit of the fjueen's coiidmt? 4. What tli 1 slie say to the troops? 5. Wlio 
gave information of the Spaniards' approach ? Why was this information well timed? 
6. What was Effingham's fear? 7. Why was the size of tlie Spanish ships of advantage 
to tlie English ? S, 9. What became of the Spanish fleet ? 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 



277 



CHAPTER CLI. 

Sir Walter Ralc'ujh.— Virginia settled. — About the Earl of Essex. 




SIR WAjyrER RALEIGH EMBARKING FOR VIRGINIA. 

1. Amongst those who fitted out ships at their own cost to op- 
pose the Armada, was Sir Walter Raleigh, who was born in 1552, 
and after passing through the University of Oxford with great 
reputation, volunteered as a soldier to assist the Protestants in 
France and the Netherlands. 

2. Here he made good use of his time in acquiring valuable 
knowledge, so that upon his return home, in 1578, he was con- 
sidered as being in all respects one of the most accomplished gentle- 
men in England. His active mind would not let him be idle, so 
he engaged heart and hand in an expedition which his half-brother, 
Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a distinguished commander, was fitting out 
to make discoveries in America. 

3. The expedition was very unfortunate, but Raleigh gained a 
knowledge of seamanship which made him afterwards one of the 
most skilful naval commanders. A man of his great abilities could 
not fail to gain the favor of the queen, but he recommended him- 
self particularly by a little act of gallantry. 

4. As Elizabeth walked abroad one day, attended by some of the 



CLI. — 1, 2. What of Sir W3,lter Raleigh? In whut pxpedition did he engage witii his 
half-brother? ."5. With what result? By what act did be gain tlie notice of the queen? 

24 



278 THE EARL OF ESSEX. 

courtiers, she chanced to arrive at a very muddy place, which she 
could not cross without wetting her feet. Kaleigh, without hesita- 
tion, took from his shoulder a new and very rich cloak, and spread 
it on the ground ; treading gently upon this, the queen passed over 
clean and dry. 

5. This attention fixed Kaleigh in her good graces, and a wag re- 
marked that the sacrifice of a cloak obtained for him many a good 
suit. The great favor which he enjoyed at court enabled him to 
procure an extensive grant of lands in America, and in 1584 he sent 
out an expedition to make a settlement there. 

6. The first attempt was made on the coast of what is now called 
North Carolina, in commemoration of which event the capital of 
that State is now called Raleigh. The ships brought back no gold 
or silver, which was the chief object of the adventurers, but were 
so well freighted with other merchandise, as to induce Raleigh to 
send out a second expedition the next year. A tract of country 
rather more to the north was taken possession of, and named, in 
honor of the maiden queen, Virginia. 

7. Leicester was alarmed at the progress which Raleigh made in 
the queen's favor, and brought forward, as a competitor, his own 
son-in-law, the Earl of Essex. This young nobleman possessed a 
noble and generous nature, and his lofty and impetuous spirit, 
which would not stoop to that mean subservience in which all 
others were held by the queen, quite won her heart. 

8. She permitted him to speak to her with more freedom than 
she would allow to any of her old and faithful servants. On one 
occasion he became so heated in an argument with her as entirely 
to forget the rules of good breeding, and turned his back upon her 
in a contemptuous manner. 

9. She took fire at this, and gave him a sound box on his ear, 
telling him she would not bear his impertinence. Instead of apolo- 
gizing for his affront, the impatient youth laid his hand on his 
sword, and, declaring he would not bear such usage, withdrew 
from court. 

10. His friends endeavored to persuade him that a blow from a 
woman ought not to be resented ; but Essex said that the character 
of looman was sunk in that of sovereign, and would not make any 
advances towards reconciliation. But the queen herself was too 
fond of him to bear his absence patiently ; the quarrel seemed to 
increase her affection, and he was recalled and enjoyed more than 
his former favor. 

5. What grant did he obtain ? 6. What colony did he attempt to found ? What colony 
was afterwards established ? Whence its name ? 7. Who was brought forward as the 
rival of Raleigh? How did Essex win the queen's favor? 8. How did he treat her? 
9, 10. Relate an instance of his impetuosity. 



DRESS IN THE TIME OF ELIZABETH. — 1558-1603. 279 

CHAPTER CLII. 

The Fashions of Dress in the Time of Elizabeth. 

1. There was one striking difference between Sir Walter Raleigh 
and the Earl of Essex. The former was minutely particular in his 
dress, whilst the latter, as his secretary, Sir Henry Wotton, tells us, 
Avas so little of a coxcomb in his attire, that he hardly knew what 
he had on. His dressing-room was filled with friends and suitors, 
to whom he gave his attention, while his servants put on his 
clothes, " with little care of his own." 

2. This is quite remarkable, for dress was then a matter of great 
importance. Even old Lord Shrewsbury directs some one in London 
to send him down some new clothes into Yorkshire, and desires the 
person "to talk with the tailor, and devise some new jerkin of thin 
pretty silk, or else one of perfumed leather, with satin sleeves, as 
the fashion is." 

3. The queen herself set the example of w^earing costly apparel. 
Her conceit of her beauty, and her desire to make an impression on 
the hearts of beholders, made her fond of wearing a great variety 
of rich dresses. As she never gave any away, there were found in 
her wardrobes, at her death, above three thousand different habits. 

4. Of one of these dresses a foreigner has given us a description. 
" When I saw Elizabeth, she was in her sixty-seventh year, and had 
in her ears two pearls with very rich drops. She wore false red hair, 
and her bosom was uncovered. She was dressed in white silk, bordered 
with pearls of the size of beans, and over it a mantle of black silk, 
shot with silver threads, and instead of a chain, she had an oblong 
collar of gold and jewels. Wherever she turned her face, as she 
went along, every one fell down on his knees." 

5. He does not mention the perfumed gloves, ornamented with 
tufts of rose-colored silk, which were so much her delight that she 
would always be painted with a favorite pair — brought to lier from 
Italy, by the Earl of Oxford. Nor does he speak of her silk stock- 
ings, which were then a great novelty. Mrs. Montague, her silk 
woman, having presented to her a pair of black silk hose, she de- 
clared she never would wear cloth ones again. 

6. But why not wear knit ones ? Because the art of making them 
was almost unknown. One of Henry VIII. 's wives is said to have 
had a pair of knitted stockings, but all other people wore them of 
cloth, laced or buttoned tight to the leg. Towards the end of Eliza- 
beth's time, a man named Lee invented a machine for weaving stock- 
ings, and set it up with great success in a village near Nottingham ; 
but the stocking-knitters, fearing it would spoil their trade, drove him 
away. He retired to Paris, where he died of disappointment. His 
invention, however, did not die with him ; and it is a remarkable cir- 

CLII.— 1. What difference in habits between Raleigh and Essex? 2. AVhy remark- 
able in Essex ? 3. What of the queen's fondness for dress ? 4. Give a description of her 



280 QUEEN Elizabeth's progresses. 

cumstance that Nottingham should still be the principal place in 
England where the stocking manufacture is carried on. 

7. There weresome curious fashions at this time. The fardingale, an 
enormous ]>etticoat, was introduced from Spain. Rufls, made of lawn 
and cambric, and well stiffened with yellow starch, reaching to the 
ujjper part of the head behind,were worn both by ladies and gentlemen. 

8. The size of these rufls appears to have alarmed her majesty, 
for we are told that certain grave persons were aj)pointed to stand 
at the gates of the city of London, for the purpose of cutting down 
every rutf that was more than a yard in deptli. These ruffs gave 
great offence to a religious party called the Puritans, of Avhom we 
shall hear more presently. 

9. A writer of this sect, in a book called "The Anatomy of 
Abuses," thinks it a heinous addition to the sinfulness of the ruff, 
that it was so " dogged" and "pestered" with needlework. He tells 
us, also, that the lords of the court were very choice about their 
shirts, which were often made of cambric, with o})en-work down the 
seams, and sometimes cost fifty dollars each, which, he adds, " is 
horrible to think of." 



CHAPTER CLIII. 

Queen Elizabeth's Progresses. — Aiiecdote of Sir Thomas Gresham. — 
About Sir Philip Sidney.— Change in the Manners of the People. — 
Shakspeare's Plays. 

1. Queen Elizabeth was very fond of travelling about the 
country, or making progresses, as it was called, and visiting her 
wealthy subjects at their own houses. Upon such occasions great 
entertainments were given. The most celebrated was that at Ken- 
ilworth Oastle, provided by the Earl of Leicester. It lasted several 
days, and invention was exhausted to furnish all sorts of diversion. 

"1. There were stag-huntings, and bull-baitings, and pageants of 
every kind ; indeed, so numerous and magnificent were the shows, 
that the account of them fills quite a large volume. The queen did 
not confine her visits to the nobility. Sir Thomas Gresham, a rich 
London merchant, who erected, at his own cost, a building for an 
Exchange, had the honor of entertaining her at his magnificent 
house called Osterley. 

3. Elizabeth, after viewing the whole mansion, remarked as she 
was going to bed, " that it would have been much more handsome 
if the court-yard had been divided by a wall." Sir Thomas heard 
the remark, and instantly set to work such a number of masons and 
laborers, that when the queen arose in the morning, she found that 
a wall had risen, as if by magic, in answer to her wish. 

dress. 5, 6. What of the use of gloves and stockings? Wh.at of the manufacture of 
stockings? 7. What droll fashions of dress? 8, 9. 'What of the ruff? 

CLIII. — 1. AVhat is said of Elizabeth's progresses? 2. What of Leicester's entertaiu- 



CHANGE IN THE MANNERS OF THE PEOPLE. 281 



3<:x4 ■:' i\' 





ELIZABETH IN PROCESSION. 

4. Before we return to our general story, we must say something 
of Sir Piiilip Sidney, who was one of the great men of this reign, 
so prolific in genius and talent. He was a i^erfect model of what a 
true knight should be, — courteous, brave, eloquent, accomplished, 
and learned. His fame and great merits were so well known 
throughout Europe, that the Poles thought of electing him their 
king, but Elizabeth would not consent. 

5. He received a mortal wound in an engagement near Zutphen, 
in Holland, Sept. 22d, 1586. As he was stretched on the ground, his 
attendants brought him some water to quench his raging thirst. Just 
as he was raising it to his lips, he saw a poor wounded soldier, who 
was lying near him, looking wistfully at the cup. " Take this water 
to him," said Sir Philip ; " his necessity is greater than mine." 

6. Sir Philij) was the author of a sort of pastoral romance, called 
the " Arcadia," which was thought very delightful at the time it 
was published, though to us it appears somewhat dull. Indeed, in 
the time of Elizabeth, a conceited, hyperbolical style of writing and 
speaking was necessary to every one who wished to be thought a 
fine gentleman. 

7. A change had taken place, in every respect, since the days of 
Henry VIII., who himself set the example of running, jumping, 
and wrestling, with all kinds of boisterous sports. I'^lizabeth's 
courtiers, out of compliment, we suppose, to their female sovereign, 
affected a measured behavior, and quieter recreations. 

8. Lord Mountjoy, who is described as being a pattern of what a 
nobleman should be, " delighted in study, in gardens, in riding on 
a pad to take the air, in playing at shovel-board, in fishing in a 

ment? 2,3. What of Sir Thomas Gresham? 4, 5. What of Sir Philip Sidney? 
6. What of his Arcadia ? What was thought necessary for a fine gentleman ? 

24 * 



282 LORD BURLEIGH. — 1598. 

fish-pond, or in reading play-books." He showed a good taste in 
this last occupation, if he were occupied with Shakspeare's plays ; 
and we may suppose he was, for they were written in the reign of 
Elizabeth, and were the delight of the court, the town, and the 
country. 

9. These plays were all acted by men and boys, it being consid- 
ered a great indecorum for women to appear on the stage. The 
I^lay-houses were little better than barns ; and we are told that, 
instead of painted scenes to represent the places where the action 
was supposed to pass, there used to be only a board hung up over 
the stage, with an inscription on it to tell the spectators where they 
were to imagine the scene to be ! 



CHAPTER CLIV. 

Death of Lord Burleigh. — Lord Essex appointed to the Government of 
Ireland. — Is reproved by Elizabeth. — His Interview with the Queen. 
— Last Cause of Offence. 

1. Elizabeth had one faithful servant, who, without courting 
her, or making any improj^er concessions to her, maintained his 
I)lace in her confidence from her accession to his own death. This 
was Cecil, Lord Burleigh. For forty years he was prime minister 
of England, and the most sagacious one that country ever had. 

2. This wise and cautious minister had always endeavored to 
check the queen's fondness for the headstrong Essex, who, from a 
love of military glory, would have kept the country continually in 
a state of war. Burleigh died in 1598, and Essex remained Avithout 
a competitor in her regard. 

3. In 1599, he received the appointment of Governor of Ireland, 
under the title of lord lieutenant, for the express purpose of putting 
an end to an insurrection which had broken out there, headed by a 
powerful chief, the Earl of Tyrone. Nothing doubting of his own 
abilities, Essex hastened to his task; but he found greater difiiculties 
than he expected. 

4. After some months of harassing warfare, in defiance of the 
queen's commands, he entered into a treaty with Tyrone. Eliza- 
lieth sent a sharp reproof for this and other disobedience, at the 
same time commanding him to remain in Ireland till further orders. 
Essex, however, instantly set off for England, and arrived at court 
before it could be known that he had left Ireland. 

5. Splashed with dirt, he rushed into the presence-chamber, al- 
though he knew the queen was exceedingly punctilious about the neat 

7. What change in manners? 8. What author was a favorite? 9. What of acting 
plavs ? 

CLIV.— 1. What faithful servant had Elizabeth? What of Lord Burleigh? 3. What 
appointment did Essex receive? How did he discharge its duties? 4,5. How did he 



MORE ABOUT THE EARL OF ESSEX. — 1599. 283 

and seemly apparel of those who approached her. Not finding her 
there, he hurried forward to her bed-chamber, where she was barely 
risen, and sitting with her hair about her face. 

6. Essex fell on his knees before her, and Elizabeth was so taken 
by surprise at this sudden appearance of her favorite, that she re- 
ceived him most graciously. But when he was gone, and she had 
time to reflect on his conduct, she considered this last presumption 
as an aggravation of his former faults ; upon his next appearance, 
a few hours after, his reception was quite different, and he was 
placed in the custody of Lord Egerton. 

7. Essex, from the agitation of his mind, fell seriously ill. The 
tenderness of the queen returned when she heard of his danger. 
She ordered eight physicians to consult on his case, and sent one 
of them to him with some broth, saying, while the tears ran down 
her cheeks, that if she could, consistently with her honor, she would 
visit him. Essex upon this recovered, and was permitted to remain 
in retirement in his own house. 

8. Elizabeth, after a severe struggle between her affection for her 
favorite and her sense of justice, at length consented that Essex 
should be called to account for his mismanagement of affairs in Ire- 
land. He did not attempt to excuse himself, but made a humble 
submission to the queen, who received his contrite messages with 
great complacency. 

9. He then ventured to apply for a renewal of a grant she had 
formerly made him, but she refused, saying that "an ungovernable 
beast must be stinted in his provender." These contemptuous ex- 
pressions were too much for the proud heai't of Essex. His temper, 
hitherto restrained with difficulty, now broke loose. He declared, 
in his rage, that " the queen, now that she was an old woman, was 
as crooked in her mind as in her person." 

10. This was reported to Elizabeth. It was bad enough to call 
her, who was so vain of her person, crooked ; but to call her old was 
even worse ; so great a dread had she of being thought aged, that 
she contrived, when she was nearly seventy, to be surjjrised by the 
French ambassador in the act of dancing a galliard, a sort of figure 
dance, to the music of a little fiddle, upon which, we believe, she 
herself played. 



CHAPTER CLV. 

Execution of the Earl of Essex. — Death of Queen Elizabeth. 

1. The breach between Elizabeth and her favorite now seemed 
to be irreparable. Essex, completely maddened by passion, sought 
to overturn the government. But his open nature made him a bad 

observe the queen's orders? 6. How did the queen receive him? 7. How did Essex 
bear his disgrace? 8. W^ere they reconciled? 9. What new cause of offence did he give? 
10. What instance of the queen's vanity? 



284 DEATH OF ELIZABETH. — 1603. 

plotter. His designs were all known to the ministers, and he was 
seized and committed to the Tower. His trial soon followed, and 
his guilt was too clear to give the queen the least pretext for grant- 
ing him a pardon. 

2. Her former tenderness and her late resentment reduced Eliza- 
beth to the most pitiable state of mind. Slie signed the warrant for 
the execution; she countermanded it; she again resolved on his 
death ; she felt a new return of tenderness. 

3. It api)ears that, aware of his impetuous temper, she had for- 
merly given him a ring, telling him that whatever disgrace he 
should foil into, she would promise him, on receiving that ring, to 
grant him a favorable hearing. This pledge she had fully expected 
to receive at this juncture of his fate, and she attributed his not 
sending it to sturdiness and obstinacy. 

4. When she had given him, as she thought, ample time for re- 
pentance, and there came not the important ring, she no longer 
delayed his execution, which took place February 25th, 1601, in 
the thirty-fourth year of his age. For a time her feelings of resent- 
ment supported her under the loss of her favorite. 

5. But this consolation, such as it was, was taken from her when, 
two years after the death of Essex, the Countess of Nottingham, 
being on her death-bed, besought the queen to come to her, as she 
had something to reveal. She then confessed that Essex had in- 
trusted her with the ring to restore it to her majesty, but that she 
had been prevailed on by her husband to withhold it. 

6. Elizabeth, in an agony of grief at this disclosure, shook the 
dying countess in her bed, saying, " God may forgive you ; I never 
can." She then broke from her, and when she had regained her 
own apartments, threw herself on the floor, and gave herself up to 
the most incurable melancholy. 

7. For ten days and nights she lay on the floor, supported by 
cushions. She refused to go to bed, or to take anything that her 
physicians prescribed. Her end visibly approaching, her attendants 
requested her to appoint her successor, aiid she named the King of 
Scotland. When she became too weak to make resistance, she was 
laid in her bed, where she died, March 24th, 1603, in the seventieth 
year of her age, and the forty-fifth of her reign. 

8. Such was the melancholy end of the most brilliant reign in 
English history. Notwithstanding her haughty temper, and her 
arbitrary government, Elizabeth was a favorite with the people, 
who long afterwards referred with pride and pleasure to the "golden 
days of good Queen Bess." 

9. Being looked upon as the head of the Protestant interest in 
Europe, she exercised a great influence upon its affairs. Her fame 
even reached the ears of the Grand Seignior at Constantinople, who 
till then had supposed England to be a dependent province of France. 

CLV. — 1. What did Essex now attempt? 2. What effect had his conduct on the 
queen? 3. What reason had she to supi)Ose Essex obstinate? 4. When did he die? 
5, 6. How liad the qxieen lieen deceived? What were her feelings at the discovery? 7. 
Relate the particulars of her death. Her age? Her length of reign? 8. What were the 
feelings of the people towards her? 9. What of the Grand Seignior? 



CHARACTER AND ANECDOTES OF ELIZABETH, 285 

He sought to atone for the insulting idea by the high compliments 
he paid the queen, whom he styled " a fountain of honor," and a 
" comfortable cloud of rain." 



CHAPTER CLVI. 

Character and Anecdotes of Elizabeth. — Spenser, the Poet Laureate. 

1. Next to her personal beauty, her learning was the object of 
Elizabeth's vanity. For this there was somewhat more of reason. 
To an address in Greek by the University of Cambridge, she re- 
plied without any preparation, in the same language. Once, when 
the Polish ambassador had said something to displease her, she 
made a spirited reply in very good Latin ; then, turning to her 
attendants, she said, "I have been forced, my lords, to scour up my 
Latin, which has been long rusting." 

2. She also aspired to the reputation of a wit, and one of her own 
jokes, though a very poor one, saved a Dr. Man from a severe re- 
buke. Philip of Spain had sent an ambassador, of the name of 
Gusman, to Elizabeth, and she in return sent Dr. Man, who con- 
ducted the affair with which he was intrusted so badly, that the 
queen thought of punishing him. 

3. But happening to say to one of her courtiers that Philip had 
sent a Goose-vaixn [i. e., a Gusman) to her, but that she had sent a 
Man-goose to him, this conceit diverted her so much, that she let 
the matter jiass, and Dr. Man escaped without any more serious 
censure. 

4. Elizabeth was fond of music, and played "indifferently well" 
on the lute, and on the virginals, an ill-shaped, clumsy instrument, 
with strings and keys. She seems to have thought there was some- 
thing royal and stately in loud noises ; for, when she dined, she 
would have twelve trumpets and two kettle-drums, besides other 
instruments, all thundering at once in her ears. 

5. Upon a certain occasion she went in great state to hear a ser- 
mon preached. Besides a numerous train of lords and ladies, she 
had a thousand soldiers, and ten great cannons dragged after her, 
with an abundance of drums and trumpets; and, besides all these, 
there was a party of morris-dancers, and two white bears in a cart. 

6. It was the custom in her day, as it is now, for the sovereign to 
keep a maker of verses, by the title of poet laureate, whose duty it is 
to compose odes for the royal birth-days, and other like occasions. 
Elizabeth was fortunate enough to have a real poet upon whom to 
bestow the ofhce. Such was Edmund Spenser, whose poems of the 
Fairy Queen and the Shepherd's Kalendar are among the most 
beautiful in the language. 

7. For some time he only wore the barren laurel, and held the 
place without the salary. The queen Avas so well pleased with one 
of his stanzas, that she ordered him a hundred pounds for it. 

CLVI. — 1. What of Elizabeth's learning? 4. What of her fondness for music? 



286 



JAMES I. — 1603. 



" What," said the economical Burleigh, " all this for a song 1" 
" Give him, then, what is reason," said the queen, who already 
repented of her generosity. 

8. Spenser, to whom the conversation had been told, waited for 
some time with patience, but at length presented his petition : 

"I was promised on a time to have reason for my rhyme, 
From that time unto this season, I've received nor rhyme nor reason." 

The queen forthwith ordered the hundred pounds to be paid. 

TABLE OF THE LINE OF TUDOR. 
Began to reign. Reigned. 
14S5 . . 24 . 



1509 
1547 
155.3 
1558 



38 
6 
5 

45 



Henry VII. 
Henry VIII., son of Henry VII. 
Edward VI., son of Henry VIII. 
Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. 
Elizabeth, daugliter of Henry VIII. 



CHAPTER CLVII. 

James I. — Change in the Manners of the Court. — Sir Walter Raleigh 
introduces the Use of Tobacco, and the Cultivation of Potatoes. 




JAMES I. EXAMINING AND TASTING TOBACCO. 

1. The crown of England was never transmitted more quietly 
from father to son, than when it passed from the family of Tudor to 



6. What is the poet lanreate? Who served Elizabeth in that capacity? 7,8. What 
anecdote of Burleigh's economy? 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 287 

that of Stuart. James I. of England, and VI. of Scotland, was 
thirty-seven years old, when the death of Elizabeth made him the 
sovereign of the whole island of Great Britain. His character was 
an odd mixture of sense and folly, which it is very difficult to describe. 

2. He had a natural shrewdness and sagacity, with a great share 
of vanity and conceit, and he made even his learning, which was 
considerable, appear ridiculous by his pedantry and pomposity. 
With all this he had a great deal of childish simplicity, and there 
was an openness of temper about him, which, though a virtue, made 
him unfit to control the jealousies which arose between his English 
and Scotch subjects. 

3. His person was awkward, and his manners uncouth and with- 
out dignity ; and these defects, together with his broad Scotch accent, 
soon made him an object of contempt to those who had been accus- 
tomed to the stately majesty of Elizabeth. A graceful and dignified 
wife might have made up for the king's deficiencies. But Anne, 
daughter of the King of Denmark, whom he married, is described 
as very homely and unprepossessing. 

4. From these causes, the manners of the court became so rude 
and unpolished as to disgust the old courtiers of Elizabeth. Indeed, 
James hated pomp and parade, and used to discourage all who had 
no particular business at the court from coming to it. He used to 
say to the country gentlemen, " At London you are like ships in a 
sea ; you look like nothing ; but in your country villages you are like 
ships in rivers, which look like great things." 

5. James was fond of study ; he read much, but it was chiefly on 
religious subjects, upon which he was a warm controversialist. 
Argument was his delight and his glory. He loved to exhibit his 
wisdom and learning in long harangues. But though he could talk, 
he could not act ; he wanted both decision and exertion ; and the 
parliament, soon finding out his weakness, listened to his speeches, 
but paid no other attention to them ; and contrived by degrees to 
strengthen its own power at the expense of the crown's ; so that 
while he was perpetually talking of his royal prerogative, he grad- 
ually lost much of it. 

6. James was also ambitious of the reputation of an author. One 
of his books was on the duty of a king, and another was called "A 
Counterblast to Tobacco," to the use of which he was much opjiosed; 
and he was accustomed to say he had no notion of men's making 
chimneys of their mouths. This herb was first brought to England 
in 1596, upon the return of Sir Walter Raleigh's unfortunate settlers 
from Virginia, where they did not succeed in establishing a perma- 
nent home. Sir Walter himself was one of its first admirers, but for 
some time preserved great secrecy in his attachment, till the foible 
was discovered by a ridiculous accident. 

7. He was one day enjoying his pipe in solitude, forgetful that he 
had ordered his servant to attend him with a goblet of ale. Tlie 
faithful domestic suddenly entering the study, and finding, as he 

CLVII.— 1. Who succeeded Elizabeth? What of .Tames' character? 3. What of his 
person? What of his wife? i. Wliat of the manners of the court? 6. Of what was 



288 LADY ARABELLA STUART. 

thought, his master's brains on fire, and evaporating in smoke and 
flame through his nostrils, did his utmost to extinguisli the confla- 
gration, by emptying tlie goblet on his head ; then rushing out of 
the room, he alarmed the family with an account of the frightful 
scene he had witnessed. 

8. But Raleigh conferred a less questionable benefit on his country. 
It was the fashion in those days to make, what we should call pirat- 
ical, expeditions against the West India islands, and the continent 
of America in that vicinity, all of which was then in the possession 
of the Spaniards. Captain Hawkins, on his return, in 1565, from 
such an expedition, presented to Sir Walter some roots which he 
said furnished an article of food for the inhabitants of New S^iain, 
or Mexico. 

9. Sir Walter jjlanted them upon some land the queen had given 
him in Ireland. When the plant came to maturity, the fruit was 
gathered, but was found to be so nauseous, that he had nearly con- 
signed the whole crop to destruction. Fortunately the merits of the 
real potato were discovered. No one then imagined that the plant 
which Sir Walter cultivated as a dainty, would be the means of 
saving the Irish nation from famine. 



CHAPTER CLVIII. 

Conspiracy to place Lad)/ Arabella Stuart on the Throne. — Conclusion 
of the Htory of Sir Walter Raleigh. 

1. The tranquillitj' of James' reign was soon interrupted by a 
conspiracy to place Lady Arabella Stuart upon the throne. By 
referring to the table of the family of Henry VII., you will see that 
she was related to that monarch in the same degree with Jame.? ; 
being a daughter of a brother of Lord Darnley, the king's father. 
The jilot was soon discovered, and the conspirators punished. 

2. Lady Arabella was neither qualified nor desirous to be a queen, 
and was totally ignorant of the conspiracy. Although brought up 
in great privacy, yet being nearest to the throne after James, she 
had been an object of jealousy both to him and to Elizabeth. 
James, however, treated her with great kindness, so long as she re- 
mained unmarried. At last she was united to a Mr. Seymour. 
For this oflence both she and her husband were imprisoned. 

3. Though confined in difi'erent prisons, they both contrived to 
make their escape at the same time, and hoped to join each other 
abroad. Mr. Seymour was so fortunate as to get safely to Flanders, 
but poor Lady Arabella was retaken on the road to Calais, and brought 
back. This disappointment deprived her of her reason. She never 

tho kin^ fond? What of tliR parliament? 6. What of the use of tol)acoo? Whataneciiote 
of Ral.'igh's use of it? 8, 9. What of potatoes? 

CLVIII. — 1. What first disturbed tlie tranquillity of James' reign? 2. Wliat of Lady 



DEATH OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 1618. 289 

recovered it again, and died in a few years. Some of lier letters are 
preserved, and show her to have been an amiable woman, of a 
cheerful temper, and without any ambition to be a queen. 

4. Sir Walter Raleigh was accused of being concerned in the 
conspiracy in favor of Lady Arabella. He was hated by the peojjle 
on account of his known enmity to their darling, the unfortunate 
Earl of Essex. He had also made himself obnoxious to the king, 
and to his minister, Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, a son of the great 
Lord Burleigh, who possessed much of his father's capacity, but 
without his integrity. 

5. Under such circumstances, Raleigh, whether guilty or inno- 
cent, could have no hope to escape conviction. He was sentenced 
to death, but reprieved and held for many years in imprisonment, 
which he employed in writing a " History of the World," and 
other works which have gained him a high reputation as an 
author. He was cheered in his confinement by the friendship of 
Henry, Prince of Wales. 

6. The prince, Avho Avas as unlike his father as possible, sincerely 
admired the splendid talents of Sir Walter, and used to say that 
"no king but his father would keep such a bird in a cage." He 
would have seen, had he lived, that this j^oor bird was at length 
permitted to enjoy a short period of liberty. Thirteen years of 
imprisonment had subdued Raleigh's pride and haughtiness. The 
people had forgotten his enmity to Essex, and now exceedingly 
desired his liberation. 

7. This was at length granted, probably by the application of 
bribes to the king's favorite, Villiers, of whom we shall soon hear 
more. No formal pardon was granted, but might readily have 
been purchased ; Sir Walter, indeed, thought of doing this, but 
he was told by Lord Bacon, whom he consulted, that it was not 
necessary, since the king's apijointment of him to the command of 
an expedition to Guiana, with the power of life and death over those 
under him, was a sufticient pardon. 

8. This expedition was fitted out, at the instigation of Sir Wal- 
ter, to go in search of a very rich gold mine, of which he said he 
bad obtained information in a former voyage. He sailed with 
several ships, and directed his course to the river Orinoco. Nothing 
was effected but the destroying of a small Spanish town, in the 
attack on which Raleigh's eldest son was killed. 

9. The Spanish government complained of this act, and James, 
who was desirous to keep on good terms with that government, 
resolved to sacrifice Raleigh to ajipease their resentment. He was 
first tried for misconduct in the late expedition, but after frequent 
examinations, the commissioners insisted that there was no ground 
for complaint. James then ordered the old sentence to be put in 
force. On the 29th of October, 1618, he was brought to the scaffold, 
where he behaved with great manliness and dignity. 

Arabella Stuart? 4. What befell Sir Walter Raleigh? 5. How did he employ his time 
in prison? 6. Mhat of Prince Henry ? 7. Why did not Raleigh demand a formal par- 
don? 8. Wliat expedition did he go upon? With what success? 9, 10. Relate tlie re- 
maining particulars of his life. 

2.1 



290 



THE GUNPOWDER PLOT. — 1605. 



10. He desired to see the axe, and, feeling the edge of it, said to 
the sheriff, " This is a sharp medicine, but a sure remedy for all 
evils." This act of deliberate cruelty is the greatest blot on James' 
reign, and caused great indignation among the people, who felt 
that they had lost the only man in the kingdom who had any 
ref)utation for valor or any military experience. 



CHAPTER CLIX. 

The Gunpo2vder Plot. 



^/■i^..£HJ 



mAmm 




GUNPOWDER PLOT. 



1. Fob. the sake of giving the life of Sir Walter Raleigh to its 
conclusion, without interruption, we have gone a little before our 
story, and must now return to the year 1605. The Roman Catho- 
lics had expected great indulgences from James on his mother's 
account ; but they found, to their great chagrin, that he was no 
less steady than Elizabeth had been to the cause of the Protestants. 

2. To tliis disai)pointment was owing the famous Gunpowder Plot. 
Two Catholic gentlemen, named Percy and Catesby, being in conver- 
sation about public affairs, became highly excited, and in their heat, 
agreed to attempt t!ie destruction of the king, lords, and commons, at 
one stroke. This was to be done by blowing uji tlie Parliament 
House with gunpowder, at a time when the lords and commons 



CLIX. — 1. What rlisaiJiinintments did the Catholics meet with? 2. What was the 



THE GUNPOWDER PLOT. — 1605. 291 

should have met together to hear the speech which the king makes 
at the opening of each session. 

3. The design was communicated to a few persons, and Guy 
Fawkes, a man of known courage and zeal, who was then serving 
as an officer in the Spanish army, was sent for to aid in its execu- 
tion. Percy hired the building next to the parliament-house, and 
the conspirators began to undermine the wall between the two 
houses. After they had worked some time, they learned that the 
cellar of the parliament-house was to be let. 

4. This was exactly what they wished ; Percy at once hired it for 
the ostensible purpose of storing i'u el. Thirty -six barrels of gunpowder 
were secretly placed in it, and covered over with fagots and billets 
of wood. To complete the deception, the doors were boldly kept 
open, and everybody admitted as if it contained nothing dangerous. 

5. The secret, though intrusted to above twenty persons, had been 
faithfully kept for nearly a year and a half, during which time there 
had been no meeting of jiarliament. At length the members were 
ordered to assemble on the 5th of November, 1605. A few days 
before the time appointed for the meeting. Lord Monteagle re- 
ceived a letter from an Unknown hand, begging him not to be 
present at the opening of parliament. 

6. It warned him not to think lightly of this advice ; " for though 
there was no appearance of any stir, yet they will receive a terrible 
blow this parliament, yet they shall not see who hurts them." Mont- 
eagle knew not what to think of this letter, and showed it to Lord 
Salisbury, who was not inclined to pay much attention to it; but 
who, nevertheless, laid it before the king. 

7. The king had sagacity enough to jDcrceive, from its. earnest 
style, that something important was meant; and this forewarning 
of a sudden and terrible blow, yet with the authors concealed, made 
his suspicions come very near the truth. The day before the meet- 
ing of parliament, he sent the Earl of Suffolk to examine all the 
cellars under the buildings whei'e they were to assemble. 

8. Suffolk was surprised to see so many piles of wood and fagots 
in the cellars under the house of lords, and was struck also with 
the dark and mysterious countenance of Guy Fawkes, who called 
himself Mr. Percy's servant. Suff'olk dej^arted, however, without 
giving any intimation of his suspicions, but resolved to make a 
more thorough search at an hour when the conspirators would 
probably be making their last preparations. 

9. Accordingly, about midnight, a party of officers proceeded to 
the cellar. Near the door they seized Guy Fawkes, dressed in a 
cloak and boots, and carrying a dark lantern ; and in his pockets 
were found matches and everything requisite for setting fire to the 
powder. On turning over the ftigots, the barrels of gunpowder 
were discovered. Fawkes at first appeared undaunted, but his 
courage afterwards failed him, and he made a full confession. 

10. Percy, Catesby, and some others fled into Warwickshire, where 

gunpowder plot? 3. Who were the principal actors? Rehite the preparation made by 
the conspirators. 5, 6, 7. How was it discovered ? 8, 9. What steps wer.e taken by tlio 



292 



THE GUNPOWDER PLOT. — 1605. 



Sir Everard Digby, another of the band, had already taken up arms, 
so confident was he that the " terrible blow" had been given in Lon- 
don. The country was soon roused against the criminals, who took 
refuge in one of those fortified houses, so common at that day. 




SEIZURE OF GUY FAWKES. 

11. But the same fate awaited them which they had designed for 
so many others. Their gunpowder took fire and blew up, maiming 
and destroying several of them. The rest rushed out upon the 
multitude, and were literally cut to pieces, except a few who were 
taken alive, and afterwards tried and executed. 

12. The 5th of November is still observed as a holiday in Eng- 
land, and was also observed in this country so long as it remained 
in a state of dependence upon Great Britain. One of the most 
noisy observances of the day is the burning of Guy Fawkes in 
effigy. But the bundle of rags which serves as his representative, 
by no means does justice to him. 

13. We are told that during his trial and imprisonment he was 
richly apjiarelled, to the great scandal of the people ; some, it is 
said, were especially indignant at him for "taking tobacco out of 
measure ;" tobacco being tlien a novelty, it was doubtless considered 
too great a luxury for a traitor. 



government? 10, 11. What became of the chief conspirators? 12, 13. What of Guy 
Fawkes? 



DEATH OF PRINCE HENRY. — 1612. 293 



CHAPTER CLX. 

Prince Henry. — The Condition of the English People under James. — 
Masques. — Baronets first created. 

1. Prince Henry lias been introduced to the reader in so favor- 
able a manner, that he may doubtless be willing to hear something 
more of him. He is always spoken of in history as an extraor- 
dinary young man. He was fond of study, and before he was 
seven years old he could write Latin correctly ; he was also ex- 
ceedingly expert in all manly and active exercises. 

2. He was sincerely religious, and when he was old enough to 
have an establishment, would keep no persons in his service whom 
he did not think worthy of his good opinion. We are told that he 
kept his numerous household in the most exact order, and that a 
glance of his eye served instead of a command ; but though a strict, 
he was a very kind master. 

3. He was warm and ardent in his friendships, and a great 
proof of his sense was that his friends were always well chosen. 
He had an anxiety to know all great and distinguished persons, 
and he cultivated the correspondence of learned men, his own coun- 
trymen as well as foreigners. 

4. There was one trait in his character which might have been 
productive of national evils. This was his ambition of military 
glory. His mother, because his person had a real or a fancied re- 
semblance to Henry V., used to tell him that he was born to 
conquer France like that hero. He had too much good sense to 
be misled by such a foolish prognostic ; yet it is certain that he in- 
dulged in many visionary schemes of future prowess. 

5. He took great interest in the navy, and made frequent visits to 
Chatham, where there was and still is a dock-yard, to examine and 
learn all he could about shipping. He was never idle, and his 
extraordinary diligence gave liim time to attend to a great many 
things. Possessed of so many noble qualities, it is no wonder that 
the English looked forward with pleasure to the time when he 
should rule over them. 

6. But all their anticipations Avere disappointed by his death at 
the early age of eighteen. When first taken ill he did not show his 
usual discretion. He had such confidence in his own strength of 
constitution that he would not give uj) his accustomed duties and 
exercises so long as he could rise from his bed. The ignorance of 
his physicians completed what his own imprudence had begun. 

7. The death of this prince was a jieculiar disappointment to all the 
restless and ardent men who hoped for an opportunity to signalize 
themselves under a prince of martial genius. To such, the peace- 
ful and inactive disposition of his father was matter of complaint ; 
but to the great mass of the people it brought comfort and happi- 
ness. There were no expensive wars, and therefore few taxes. 

CLX.— 1, 2, 3. What of Prince Henry's character? 4, 6. What sovereign was he said 
to resemble? What was predicted on this account? 6. How were the hopes of all dis- 

26* 



294 CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE UNDER JAMES. — 1603-1625. 

8. By discouraging the thronging of the higher orders to court, 
James kept many of the princii:)al families quietly at home, where 
they lived both frugally and usefully among their tenantry. A con- 
temporary writer says, "There is no people in the whole world 
where men of all conditions live so peaceably, and so plentifully, 
yea, and so safely also, as in England." 

9. We are also told that "the houses of farmers were often fur- 
nished with a garnish of pewter on the cupboard; three or four 
feather-beds, with as many coverlets, and carpets of tapestry, a 
silver salt, a bowl for wine, and a dozen spoons to finish out the 
suit." This is an establishment superior to that of earls in the 
time of Henry VII. 

10. James himself was probably the poorest man in his domin- 
ions. Though not extravagant in his habits, he was always em- 
barrassed, from his ignorance of the value of money, and from his 
thoughtless profusion to his favorites. It is said, that one day as 
he was standing in the midst of his courtiers, a porter passed by 
loaded with money for the royal treasury. The king observed that 
Rich, Earl of Holland, one of these favorites, whispered something 
to his neighbor. 

11. Upon inquiry he found that Eich had said, "How happy 
would that money make me!" Without hesitation, James be- 
stowed it all upon him, though it amounted to 3000 pounds. He 
added, " I think myself very happy in having an opportunity to 
oblige a man whom I love." 

12. The queen also brought great expenses uj^on him by her pas- 
sionate love of shows and entertainments, especially of masques. 
These were a kind of play, generally jjerformed by ladies and gen- 
tlemen in private houses. The queen was excessively fond of 
appearing in these masques, in which the characters had little else 
to do than to display their fine dresses. 

13. On one occasion she and the ladies of her court performed a 
masque in the character of Moorish women, and had their faces and 
arms blackened in order to look like Moors, and tlie eflFect, as we are 
told by one of the sj^ectators, was "horridly ugly." The court 
masques were got up under the direction of Ben Jouson, who, after 
being a bricklayer, a soldier, and an actor, finally, by the assistance 
of his friend, Shakspeare, attained to great celebrity as a dramatic 
writer. He died in 1G37, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. 
On his grave-stone is this inscrijjtion : "O! Rare Ben Jonson." 

14. To meet all his expenses, James was obliged to have recourse 
to various expedients ; amongst others, to the sale of titles and dig- 
nities; though at his accession he had given these away in such 
profusion as to lead some wag to advertise to teach an art by which 
people could remember the names of the new nobility. A species of 
hereditary knighthood, unknown in other kingdoms, was invented ; it 
was that of baronet, and was sold to any one for a thousand pounds. 

appointed? 7,8,9. What of the state of the country under James? 10,11. What in- 
stance of his liberality? 12. What were masques? Who directed the court masques? 
14. How did James raise money for his expenses ? 



ANECDOTES OF JAMES. 



295 



CHAPTER CLXI. 

Anecdotes of James I. — The Bible translated. — Coaches introduced. 



(^\ 



>^|||iKv^'t\\\i 




TRANSLATING THE BIBLE. 

1. Next to controversy, the emi:)loyment which James loved best 
was hunting ; and he carried it to such an extreme, that he led his 
poor courtiers, who were not equally fond of it, a weary life. One 
of them makes heavy complaints of being obliged to ride with him, 
in heat and cold, dry and wet, from eight in the morning till four 
in the afternoon, in full career, from the death of one poor hare to 
that of another. 

2. James had a hunting-palace at Newmarket, and another at 
Eoyston. When he and his attendants were there, they consumed 
all the provisions in the place, and made such a bustle that the quiet 
inhabitants did not at all like these visitations. In one of these. 
hunting bouts, Jowler, the king's favorite hound, was missing. 

3. The king was exceedingly vexed at his loss ; but the next day 
Jowler reappeared with a piece of paper tied to his collar, bearing 
these words : " Good JMr. Jowler, we pray you speak to the king, 
(for he hears you every day, and so doth he not us,) that it will 
please his majesty to go back to London, or else the country will be 
undone ; all our provision is spent, and we are not able to entertain 
him any longer." 



CLXI. — 1. Of what amusement was James fond ? 2. Relate the anecdote of his dog. 



296 THE king's favorites. 

4. James, like his predecessor, sometimes attempted a joke. We 
will give one as a specimen. A gentleman of the name of Lumley 
was boasting to him of the great antiquity of his family. " Hoc, 
mon," exclaimed the king in his broad Scotch, " I did nae ken that 
Adam was a younger son of the Lumley family." 

5. Though we are very apt to ridicule James for his folly and ped- 
antry, yet we ought not' to forget that we owe him one obligation, 
which it would be very ungrateful not to remember. We are in- 
debted to him for the excellent translation of the Bible now in use. 
Cranmer's Bible, having been made from very defective Latin trans- 
lations, was in many places not faithful to the originals. James 
therefore employed some very learned men to make a translation 
from the original languages ; the Old Testament being in the Hebrew, 
and the New Testament in the Greek language. Nearly fifty per- 
sons were occupied about it for four years. 

6. Although James was of so peaceful a temper, he took great 
pride in his navj, and built many large vessels. These were em- 
ployed in protecting commerce, which had much increased, and in 
visiting the new colonies of Virginia and Plymouth, which were 
successfully planted during his reign. The increase of commerce 
brought increase of wealth and luxury. Ladies and gentlemen had 
become too eifeminate to ride on horseback, but must needs have 
coaches. The first coach we read of as used in England is one that 
Lord Arundel had in 1580. But in the reign of James there were 
even hackney coaches. 

7. These early coaches were very like modern wagons ; they were 
cumbrous, jolting vehicles, and so capacious as to hold eight persons 
commodiously. Six individuals, three on each seat, sat opposite to 
one another; the two others sat back on two stools that faced the 
two doors. But the favorite Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was too 
effeminate to ride in a coach even. Pie introduced sedan chairs, to 
the great scandal of the people, who thought it degrading to men to 
make them do the work of horses. 



CHAPTER CLXIL 

The King's Favorites, Carr, Earl of Somerset, and Villiers, Duke of 
Buckirigham. — Bomantic Expedition of Prince Charles into Spain. 
— Death of James I. 

1. As we have frequently spoken of the king's favorites, it is time 
to say something more particularly about them. It was one of his 
follies to have an exclusive regard for some one person, who was 
generally chosen for his agreeable exterior. The first of these was 

For what are we indebted to James ? 6. What colonies were planted in his reign ? 7. 
What of the use of coaches? 



EXPEDITION OF PRINCE CHARLES INTO SPAIN. 297 

Kobert Carr, a Scotch youth of good family, but of a neglected 
education. 

2. James undertook to be his tutor, and to teach him Latin. As 
he grew older, he loaded him with dignities, and finally created 
him Earl of Somerset. This favorite had a sincere and wise friend, 
Sir Thomas Overbury, who, on his wishing to marry the Countess 
of E'isex, strongly advised him against it. The countess, irritated 
at this, persuaded Somerset to have him put in the Tower, where 
he was soon after poisoned. 

3. Somerset and the countess, the guilty contrivers of his death, 
then married ; but he, being less hardened in wickedness, sunk into 
melancholy, and became such a dull companion that the king grew 
weary of him. The guilt of Somerset and his wife was some time 
afterwards discovered. 

4. They, and all who had been accessory to the murder, were 
tried and convicted. The accomplices were executed, but Somerset 
and his wife were only banished. They lived many years, dragging 
on a most miserable life ; their former love, which had led them 
into guilt, being turned to the most deadly hatred. 

5. As the king was one day listening to a play which was repre- 
sented for his entertainment by the scholars of Cambridge, he was 
attracted by the handsome person and fine clothes of George Villiers, 
who had purposely been placed in a conspicuous situation. James 
at once took him into his service. Villiers soon gained an unbounded 
influence over the king, who created him Duke of Buckingham. 

6. James was exceedingly desirous of marrying his son, Charles, 
who was now the heir to the throne, to a daughter of the King of 
Spain. A Spanish match was not at all to the liking of the people, 
who remembered the days of Philip and Mary. It found, however, 
a warm advocate in the Duke of Buckingham. This nobleman, who 
enjoyed the rare good fortune of being in equal favor with the reign- 
ing monarch and with the heir to the throne, possessed Prince 
Charles with a desire to undertake a romantic journey into Spain, 
to see the princess, and to woo her in person. 

7. It was with great difliculty that the king could be persuaded to 
consent to this. At last, entirely against his own judgment, he agreed 
to permit the departure of his son and Buckingham. To the latter he 
gave many charges to take care of the " baby Charles," as he was 
accustomed to call the prince, though then in his twenty-second year. 

8. The prince and the duke left England disguised and undis- 
covered. In their way through France, they attended, without being 
recognized, a ball, where Charles first saw the French princess, 
Henrietta Maria, whom he afterwards married. When he arrived 
at Madrid, he made himself and his errand known. 

9. The King of Spain treated him with great respect; but whether 
it was that Charles did not like the Spanish princess so well as the 
beautiful sister of the King of France, or w^hether Buckingham, 



CLXII. — 1. Who was the first favorite of the king? 2, 3. What became of Somer- 
set? 5. What of Villiers? 6. What expedition did Prince Charles go upon? 
7. What charge did the king give to Buckingham? 9. Why was the Spanish 



298 DEATH OF JAMES I. — 1625. 

who thought himself slighted by the haughty Spaniards, to whom 
his insolent manners were highly offensive, persuaded him to 
abandon the suit, it is certain that after some months' absence, he 
returned to England, wholly unwilling to pursue the negotiation 
into which James had entered. 

10. It was accordingly broken off, and overtures of marriage made 
to Henrietta Maria. Whilst this negotiation was still pending, the 
king fell ill of an ague. Finding his end approaching, he took an 
affectionate leave of his son, and died March 27th, 1625, in the 
fifty-ninth year of his age, and the twenty-second of his reign over 
England. He had been recognized as King of Scotland, as will be 
recollected, almost from his birth. 

FAMILY OF JAMES I. 

WIFE. 
Anne, Princess of Denmark. 

CHILDREN. 

Henry, died November 6th, 1612, in the eighteenth year of his age. 

Charles, who succeeded his father. 

Elizabeth, who married Frederick, ex-King of Bohemia. From her, through 
her daughter, Sophia, who married the Elector of Hanover, the present 
royal family of England derive their title to the throne. 



CHAPTER CLXIII. 

The great Philosopher, Lord Bacon.— -Lord Napier invents Logarithms. 
— Sir Edward Coke. — The Puritans. 

1. We have had no opportunity, in the course of our story, of 
introducing, except by name, the brightest ornament of this reign. 
Francis Bacon, Viscount St. Albans, better known as Lord Bacon, 
first came into notice in the reign of Elizabeth. She was sensible 
of his great talents, but his advancement was steadily opposed by 
Lord Burleigh, who assured Elizabeth that, though he was a man 
of extraordinary genius, his head was filled with philosophy, and 
not with political knowledge. 

2. James raised him to the office of chancellor, and his misconduct 
in that high post fully justified the sagacious Burleigh's opinion. 
One of the most important duties of the chancellor is to act as 
judge, and as his court is the highest in the kingdom, the most im- 
portant causes, in respect to proj^erty. are brought before it. 

8. Bacon was accused of taking bribes from suitors in his court; 
and being brought to trial for the offence, he confessed that he had 
connived at the reception of them by his officers. He was dismissed 



match broken off? 10. When did James die? Ilmv old was lie? How long did lie 
reign ? 

CLXIII. — 1. When did Lord Bacon come into notice? Who opposed his advance- 
ment? Why? 2. By what conduct did he justify Burleigh's opinion? 3,4. What of 



LORD BACON — LORD NAPIER — SIR EDWARD COKE. 299 

from his station, and sentenced to pay a heavy fine, and to be im- 

Erisoned during the king's pleasure. James, in consideration of 
is many merits, released him from prison, and remitted the fine. 




LORD BACON. 

4. Bacon survived his disgrace five years, during which time he 
employed himself in prosecuting those philosophical studies in 
which he was naturally fitted to excel, and in which he has attained 
a higher reputation than, perhaps, any other writer of any age or 
country. He died in 1626. 

5. There is another man of science who deserves a passing 
notice. This is Lord Napier, who immortalized himself by the 
invention of a system of artificial numbers, called logarithms, which 
greatly facilitated the calculation of great sums in arithmetic. 

6. This age was so prolific in great men, that we hardly know 
where to stop. We can mention but one more. Sir Edward Coke 
was the most eminent lawyer of this age. He met with many 
changes of fortune; but he made the best of adversity, and King 
James used to compare him to a cat, who always falls upon her feet. 

7. Before beginning the story of King Charles, we must notice 
a new sect which had arisen among the Protestants. Many of these 
had taken refuge from the persecution of Mary, at Geneva, and had 
there learned the doctrines of Calvin, the Swiss reformer. 



Bacon after his disgrace? 5. Wliat of Lord Napier? 6. Wliat of Sir Edward Coke? 



300 CHARLES I. — 1625. 

8. These Puritavs — for so they were called from their strict man- 
ner of living — laid a most serious stress on many minute trifles. 
Square caps, like those still worn by the students at the English 
universities, had hitherto been a part of the dress of the clergy. 
The puritans attacked the use of them as being a sinful remnant 
of popery ; and the respective merits of square caps and round caps 
became a subject of furious contention. 

9. The puritans found no fovor with the court, for they did not 
acknowledge the supremacy of tlie queen, any more than of the 
pope, in spiritual matters; yet their doctrines made rapid progress 
among the people. Their public preachings and private exhorta- 
tions had a visible effect on the manners of the age, particularly in 
regard to the Sabbath, which, by their example, began to be ob- 
served with seriousness, instead of being made, as heretofore, a day 
of pastime, and often of excess. 



CHAPTER CLXIV. 

Charles L, sometimes called the Ifartyr, is opposed by the Parliament 
in his Attempts to increase the Royal Power. — Murder of the Duke 
of BucJdngham. 

1. Charles was in the twenty-fifth year of his age when he as- 
cended the throne. His features were regular, and he would have 
been handsome, if it had not been for the melancholy cast of his coun- 
tenance. His deportment was exceedingly dignified, though during 
the early part of his life it was somewliat ungracious from its too 
great stateliness and formality ; but this wore oft' as he grew older. 

2. In the morality and regularity of his conduct he set a good 
example to his court and peo]>le ; he was moderate in all his habits 
and his expenses, humane and gentle in his disposition, was a man 
of kind affections, and a most tender husband and father. His 
mind was highly cultivated, and he had extraordinary talents for 
reasoning and argument ; but through his indecision of character, 
he seldom acted as wisely as he could talk, and was often swayed 
by the counsels of men of far inferior capacity. His temper was 
somewhat hasty, but he was generous and forgiving. 

3. But Ciiarles had imbibed some notions, which, notwithstand- 
ing his many fine and good qualities, at length brought about his 
destruction. He had too high an idea of the royal ))rerogative ; 
many of the unjust usurpations of power made by Elizabeth he 
considered as the natural rights of the sovereign, which he could 
not fairly be expected to resign. 

4. From the very commencement of this new reign, much popu- 

7. What new sect arose? S. Why called Piuitaus ? 9. What of the progress of their 
opiniciiis? 

CLXrV.— 1, 2. What of Charles I.? 3. What notions of power had he imbibed? 4. 



DISAFFECTION OF PARLIAMENT. — 1626. 301 

lar dissatisfaction prevailed, chiefly because the king surrendered 
himself entirely to the control of Buckingham, who, implacable in 
his hatreds, tickle in his friendships, imperious and grasping in his 
desires, was regarded with universal dislike. The king's marriage 
with Henrietta Maria was also very displeasing to the people, 
because she was a papist, and their religious feelings were shocked 
at her being allowed publicly to exercise her own form of worship. 

5. She also oflended the more serious part of the nation by the 
change her elegance and gayety wrought in the manners of the 
court ; and the puritans found less to dislike in the homely vulgar- 
ity of the late Queen Anne, of Denmark, than in the grace and 
beauty of Henrietta. She possessed great influence with the king; 
and much of his subsequent suffering is to be attributed to his yield- 
ing to the dictates of her violent and imperious temper. 

6. It was a great error in James, as also in his son Charles, to be 
occupied with abstract speculations, and not to see what was passing 
under their eyes. Thus, while James was writing books on kingly 
government, he never perceived that the house of commons was no 
longer that subservient body it had been in all former reigns, but 
that it had at last found out its own strength, and that from being 
the slave of kings, it was now in fact their master. 

7. Charles was equally blind to this change, and was not aAvare 
of the difficulties which he was bringing on himself by his rash 
treatment of this great organ of the will of the people. The first 
year of his reign was spent by him in making attempts to extend 
his authority, and by the commons in trying to curb it. Provoked 
by this opposition, Charles hastily dissolved the parliament, and thus 
the king and the commons parted in mutual disgust and animosity. 

8. One source of discontent was soon removed by the death of 
Buckingham. In revenge for some personal affront, he had per- 
suaded Charles to declare war against France, and to send some 
troops under his command to relieve Rochelle, in which a body of 
Huguenois, as the French Protestants were called, were closely be- 
sieged by the troops of the king, who was a strict Catholic. 

9. The expedition was ill planned and badly executed ; and Buck- 
ingham was compelled to return to England, where he set about 
preparations for a new expedition, in which he hoped to recover his 
lost reputation. Portsmouth is one of the great naval stations of 
England, and thither he went to suijerintend some of the prepara- 
tions. 

10. At the same time with the duke, a man of the name of Felton 
arrived there, a jniritan of a melancholy and enthusiastic turn of 
mind, who, learning the universal complaints made against Buck- 
ingham, persuaded himself that he should do his country a service 
by taking his life. He had, too, been disappointed in his hopes of 
promotion in the army, and felt some personal resentment against 
the duke. 

11. For several days, Felton followed the duke like his shadow. 

What rendered the new king unpopular? How did the queen offend the people? What 
of her influence over the king? 6. What error did both James and Charles commit? 7. 

26 



302 



DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. 1628. 



without having any opportunity to effect his purpose. At last, as 
Buckingham was passing through a doorway, he turned to speak 
to Sir Thomas Fryer, who was following him, when an arm was 
suddenly stretchedover Sir Thomas' shoulder, which struck a knife 




DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. 

into the duke's breast. All passed in a moment. No one saw 
the blow, or the person Avho gave it ; the bystanders heard Bucking- 
ham exclaim, " The villain has killed me !" and saw him pull the 
knife from the wound, and fall dead at their feet. This happened 
on the 23d of August, 1628. 

12. It chanced that the duke had been engaged in an animated 
conversation with some French gentlemen, who, as is the custom 
with that lively nation, had made use of much gesticulation and a 
loud tone of voice. Those who did not understand the conversation 
conjectured that there had been a quarrel between the parties, and 
that the duke had been murdered by the French gentlemen, upon 
whom it was proposed to execute summary punishment. There 
were others present, however, who, though equally persuaded of 
their guilt, were in favor of having them dealt with according to law. 

13. But the matter was soon set right. A hat was found, in 
which was pinned a pajjer, containing some written words and a 



How was the first year of Charles' reign speiit? 8. Upon what expedition was Buck- 
ingham sent? 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Relate the particulars of Buckingham's death. 



MORE TROUBLES WITH PARLIAMENT. — 1629. 303 

short prayer, which proved to have belonged to the murderer. A 
search was now made for a person without a hat, though most 
agreed that it was hopeless, as sufficient time had been allowed the 
criminal to escape. In the midst of the confusion, a man without 
a hat was seen walking very composedly before the door. One 
cried out, "Here he is!" Others ran up, asking, "Which is he?" 
The man very sedately answered, " I am he !" He was accordingly 
taken, tried, and executed. 



CHAPTER CLXV. 

Wenhoorth, Earl of Strafford. — The King finds the Parliament very 
unyielding. — He resorts to illegal Measures to obtain Money. — About 
the Scotch Covenanters. 

1. Aftee. the death of Buckingham, a change took place in the 
policy of the king, which is worthy of remark, as it may be consid- 
ered almost as a change in the constitution of England. Hitherto 
the king had chosen his ministers from personal favor, or from his 
own opinion of their abilities, without regard to the opinion of the 
people. 

2. Charles now selected his chief ministers from the leaders of 
those who opjjosed the assumj)tion of new power by tlie crown, and 
who were chiefly puritans, thus making it for their interest to main- 
tain the power, of which they had become the ]iartakers. But the 
king did not derive from this measure all the advantages which he 
expected ; for his views were so directly opposed to those of the 
puritans, that the leaders whom he had gained lost from that 
moment all influence with their party, and wei"e even pursued as 
traitors with implacable resentment. 

3. The chief of these was Sir Thomas Wentv.-nrth, who was 
created Earl of Strafford, a man whose great abilities were from 
that time devoted with as much zeal to increase the royal power as 
they had hitherto been to diminish it. Indeed, like all jiroselytes, 
he seemed to liave wished to remove all suspicion of the sincerity 
of his conversion by the ardor of his new faith. The opinions 
which he now advocated would have better suited the despotic 
times of the Plantagenets, than those in which he was placed. 

4. The late king had left an exhausted treasury, and the parlia- 
ment had granted such scanty supjilies to Charles, that he found 
himself in want of money to pay the necessary expenses of the 
government. The right of imposing taxes had always belonged to 
the parliament ; but such was the subserviency of that body in all 
former reigns, that possession of it was of no great practical value, 
for the king's wishes were always complied with. 

CLXV. — 1. What change in policy after Buckingham's death ? Whom did Charles 
select for his ministers? Why? With what result? 3. What ol Sir Thomas Wcnt- 
worth? 4. Who posspssod tlie sole rii;ht to impose taxes? 6. What of the king's power 



304 THE SCOTCH COVENANTERS. 

6. It is a part of the king's prerogative, that is, constitutional 
right, to summon a parliament, to appoint the time and place of 
meeting, to adjourn the meetings from time to time, and to dis- 
solve the parliament, all at his own pleasure. The want of money 
compelled Charles to summon a new one, but, upon finding it no 
more complying than the first, he dissolved it, declaring that he 
would govern the kingdom without one. 

6. He now had recourse to tlie most arbitrary and unjust ex- 
pedients to obtain money. The court of the Star Chamber was 
made an instrument to wring money from his subjects. The most 
insignificant trifies were made the occasion for imposing enormous 
fines. In one instance, a nobleman's servant quarrelled with a citi- 
zen. The servant displayed his master's badge, which hapi^ened to 
be a swan, upon his sleeve ; the other said, " What do you suppose 
I care for that goose?" For these words he was summoned before 
the Star Chamber, and severely fined for having insulted a noble- 
man's crest, by calling a swan a goose. 

7. Charles also attemjited to collect taxes upon his own author- 
ity. Amongst others, he imposed a tax, called ship-money, because 
it was to be used for the maintenance of the navy. Though the 
money thus raised was applied to the specified use, yet the imposi- 
tion of it being illegal, the people were highly indignant. 

8. Things were in this condition in England, when Laud, Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, with more zeal than discretion, persuaded 
the king to attempt the introduction of the forms of the English 
church into Scotland, where Presbyterianism prevailed. The Scots, 
instead of submitting to the dictation of the king and his prelate, 
drew up a covenant, whereby they bound themselves to resist all re- 
ligious innovation ; and this covenant all persons, from one end of 
Scotland to the other, were required to sign. 

9. The covenanters also made preparations to resist the prose- 
lytes by force of arms. An army was assembled, the command of 
which was given to the Earl of Argyle. The town of Leith was 
hastily fortified ; such was the zeal of ail classes, that noble ladies 
were to be seen mixing with the lowest of the people, carrying loads 
upon their shoulders to complete the works. Charles marched an 
army as far as Berwick, but was soon forced to disband it for want 
of money to pay the troops. He was obliged to purchase the sub- 
mission of the Scots by many concessions. 

over parliament ? 6. How did Charles seek to obtain money? 7. What of ship-money ? 
8. What gave offence in Scotland? 9. What of the covenanters? 



CHARLES REDUCED TO GREAT DISTRESS. — 1604. 305 



CHAPTEE CLXVI. 

The King reduced to great Distress.—Deafh of Strafford. — Indiscreet 
Zeal and Death of Laud. — The Breach between the King and Parlia- 
ment widens. — Charles withdraws from London. 

1. Ik 1640, Charles found himself in such a distressed condition, 
that after an interval of eleven years, he once more summoned a 
parliament, in hopes it would grant him some assistance. But as 
soon as it met, instead of paying any attention to the necessities 
of the king, it entered upon a discussion of the grievances of the 
people. 

2. In a moment of irritation, the king dissolved the parliament, 
a rashness which he had afterwards too much reason to repent. 
His necessities were now so great that he was compelled to borrow 
money of his courtiei's; and at length, as a desperate resr)urce, to 
summon a new parliament. The dissolution of the former one had 
not served to put the commons in better humor with the king or 
his ministers. Their first measure now was to impeach Straflbrd. 
He was tried, and, notwithstanding an eloquent defence, was con- 
demned to death. 

3. The king could not for a long time be induced to consent to 
his execution, although the queen and his other advisers besought 
him to make the sacrifice to the popular clamor. At length it was 
extorted from him, but no suiTering of his own gave him so severe 
a pang as the death of his fiiithful friend and servant. 

4. He sent a letter to the peers, entreating them to confer with 
the house of commons, and obtain their consent to a mitigation of 
Strafibrd's punishment, or a delay in its execution. But the com- 
mons were inexorable, and he was beheaded May 12th, 1641. 
Thus was literally executed the threat of Pym, one of the most 
active of the puritans, who, when Strafford left that party, had said 
to him, " You have left us ; but we will not leave you while your 
head is on your shoulders." 

5. The zeal with which Laud defended the royal usurpations of 
power, rendered him very acceptable to the king, and not less ob- 
noxious to the people. This odium was still further increased 
by the extravagant pretensions which he put forth in behalf of 
the clergy of the established church. He sought too to restore 
many of the imposing ceremonies of the Catholic religion — a 
measure which shows how much his zeal had blinded his judgment, 
for the great mass of the nation at this time held in the greatest ab- 
horrence everything that reminded them of the Church of Rome. 

6. As may be well supposed, Laud did not escape the censure of 
the parliament. He was imprisoned, and all his property confis- 

CLXVI. — 1. To what was Charles fcirced by his distress for money? What was the 
result? 2. Relate what followed. What befell Strafford? 5. What of Laud's conduot? 
6. What was his fate? 7. To what bill did the king give his consent? 8. What happened 

26* 



306 DRESS OF THE CAVALIERS AND PURITANS. — 1642. 

cated, but he was not brought to trial for three years. He was 
then found guilty of high treason, and beheaded January 10th, 
1645. 

7. Soon after the condemnation of Strafford, a bill was passed by 
parliament, by which it was enacted that it should not be dissolved, 
or adjourned, without its own consent. This bill was brought to 
the king, at the time when his mind was in a state of great agita- 
tion, caused by Strafford's pending fate, and he gave it his assent 
without much consideration, and, by this thoughtless act, com- 
pletely fettered himself. The parliament applied itself to the re- 
dress of grievances, the greatest of which was the court of the Star 
Chamber, which was abolished. 

8. A dangerous rebellion now broke out in Ireland, and all the 
English in the island, without regard to age or sex, were massacred, 
except a few who took refuge in Dublin. Charles applied to parlia- 
ment for assistance, who raised money and collected ammunition 
on 2)rctence of the Irish service, but in fjict kept the whole supply, 
in order to employ it against the king, in opposition to whose au- 
thority many factions had now united themselves. 

9. One party was composed of men of moderate views, who 
wished merely to put a stop to the abuses of the royal power. The 
puritans went farther than this, and insisted on a separation be- 
tween church and state. The independents, who were puritans in 
religious belief, were republicans in political faith, and sought the 
overthrow of both established church and monarchy. 

10. In 1642, the quarrel between the king and the parliament 
had reached such a height, that Charles withdrew from London to 
York, taking with him his two sons, Charles and James. Here the 
chief nobihty and gentry of the kingdom flocked to him, offering 
him their services. The peers, with the exception of the Earl of 
Essex and a few others, adhered to the king, while the puritans 
supported the parliament. 



CHAPTER CLXVII. 

The Dress of the Cavaliers and Puritans. — Costume of the Ladies. — 
Vandyke. — The first Museum. 

1. The two parties differed in dress almost as much as in prin- 
ciples and manners. In a work published about this time, there is 
a print of a cavalier, or malignant, as the partisans of the king were 
called by their opponents. His conical-shaped hat, decorated with 
a large feather, is cocked most pertly on the right side of his head. 
From beneath its broad brim, the long hair falls upon his shoulders. 
The tress on the left side, so much longer than the rest, is the love- 



in Ireland? Wliat advantage was takpn of it by parliament? 9. What of the different 
parties in the state? 10. When did Charles witlidi-aw from London? 

CLXVII.— 1. What were the king's partisans called" Describe the drees of a cavar 



COSTUME OF THE LADIES. — 1642. 307 

lock, which was so particularly obnoxious to the puritans, that Mr. 
Pym wrote a quarto volume against it. 




DRESS OF 1642, 

2. His doublet reaches no lower than the waistband of his breeches, 
which are very large, with puffs like small blown bladders, quite 
round the knees ; his boots are very short, with fringed tops, which 
are nearly as ample in their dimensions as the brim of his hat ; his 
sword is enormous, and is suspended to a belt which comes over his 
right shoulder. To this we may add, that men if fashion, and 
women too, wore black patches upon their faces, which made them 
look all over spots. 

3. We must now give a description of the dress of his majesty, as 
described by a learned antiquary, from a portrait in his own posses- 
sion. "He has a falling band, (a decoration for the neck, which, in 
this reign, sujjplanted the ruff, which had maintained its place in 
public favor for several reigns,) a short green doublet, the arm-parts 
towards the shoulders, wide and slashed, zig-zag turned-up ruffles ; 
very long green breeches, (like a Dutchman,) tied far below the 
knee with long yellow ribands ; red stockings, great shoe-roses, 
and a short red cloak, lined with blue, with a star on the shoul- 
der." 

4. The ladies dressed their hair low on the forehead, and parted in 
small ringlets. Many wore it curled like a peruke, and some braided 
and rounded in a knot, on the top of the crown. They frequently 
wore strings of pearls in their hair. Ear-rings, bracelets, and other 
jewels, were worn in profusion. The shoes of a lady of quality, as 

lier. 4. Wliat of ladies' dress ? 5. Whence the name " Vandyke " ? 6. What of 



308 HAMPDEN — PYM — SIR HENRY VANE. 

an author of that day tells us, had such high heels, that she could 
not walk without some one to lead her ; and her gown was so long, 
that she could not stir to the next room without a page or two to 
hold it up. 

5. Laced handkerchiefs, resembling the large falling bands of the 
men, were much worn ; and the fashion of these has since been re- 
vived under the name of Vandyke. They are thus called, because 
they were copied from the portraits of a distinguished painter of 
that name, who flourished in this i-eign. He was a native of Ant- 
werp, and was invited to England by Charles. 

6. He painted the portraits of many of the most distinguished 
personages of the court. All his portraits are distinguished by their 
extraordinary grace and elegance ; but whether that was owing to 
the skill of the painter, or that he was fortunate in those who sat to 
him, is more than historians can pretend to tell. Charles was a 
great admirer of paintings, and was also a good judge of them, and 
had made the finest collection of pictures at that time in Europe ; 
but after his death it was dispersed. 

7. The taste for collecting rare things was not confined to the 
king, for his gardener, John Tradescant, made the earliest museum, 
or assemblage of curiosities, known in England. The greater part 
of this collection is yet preserved in the Ashmole Museum, at Ox- 
ford. A living curiosity of this reign was for upwards of a century 
to be seen at Lambeth, the palace of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 
It was a tortoise, which had belonged to Laud, and which lived till 
1753, when it was killed by accident. 

8. A word or two about the dress of the puritans, and we will 
proceed with our history. The puritans were in every respect the 
reverse of the cavaliers. They wore short hair, short bands, short 
cloaks, and long fiices, which they still further disfigured by wear- 
ing a little black cap, edged with white. The ladies tied their heads 
up in hoods, as if they had got the toothache. In ridicule of the 
close-cropped hair of the puritans, the party of the parliament re- 
ceived the name of Round-heads from their opponents. 



CHAPTER CLXVIII. 

Hampden. — Piim. — Sir Henry Vane. — The Milifary Commanders on 
each side. — Commencement of Hostilifies. — Battles of Edgchill and 
of Marston Moor. — Character of the Troops on each side. 

1. We left the parties apparently on the verge of a civil war, but 
before we give the details of this, we must describe the leaders 
on each side. The most influential men in the parliament house 

his portraits? 7. What of Charles' taste for paintings? 8. What of the dress of the 
puritans 1 Why called " Round-heads" ? 



COMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES. — 1642. 309 

■were John Hampden and John Pym. The former had the bold- 
ness, alone and unsupported, to resist the illegal tax, of which we 
have already spoken, called ship-money. 

2. The courtier-judges decided against him ; but the loss of his 
cause was more than compensated to him by the veneration and 
respect with which he was treated by his countrymen. No one 
doubted the purity of his motives in opposing the king, and his 
death, which happened very early in the ensuing contest, was re- 
gretted alike by cavaliers and round-heads. 

3. Sir Henry Vane was another promoter of the cause of the 
people. When quite young he came to America. His grave and 
solemn deportment won the hearts of the people of Massachusetts, 
and in 1636 he, being then about twenty-four years old, was elected 
governor of that colony. But his popularity was short-lived, and 
he soon returned to England, where a sympathy with the puritans, 
and a personal pique against Straftbrd, induced him to join the op- 
ponents of the king. He was a man of considerable ability; he was 
fond of theological discussions, and was the founder of a very fanat- 
ical sect, called Seekers. 

4. Those whom we have now mentioned were more distinguished 
as speakers than as generals. The military leaders were the Earl 
of Essex and Lord Fairfax, both of whom were honest, well-inten- 
tioned men. The former was a son of Queen Elizabeth's wayward 
favorite. His pleasing manner and address were well calculated to 
gain the favor of the people. He was a good soldier, having had 
much experience in the wars of foreign countries. 

5. The king's generals were his nephew. Prince Rupert, and the 
Marquis of Newcastle. Prince Rupert, who was a son of Charles' 
sister, Elizabeth, was a brave soldier, but too rash and impetuous 
to make a good general. He was the inventor of the style of en- 
graving called mezzotint, which is said to have been suggested to 
him by observing the eftect of rust upon an old gun, which a soldier 
was cleaning. 

6. The Marquis of Newcastle was a man of immense wealth, and 
of great abilities, both in council and in the field. His high cha- 
racter induced many persons to join the royal army, and while he 
held the command, the royal cause prospered. The reader, doubt- 
less, remembers Seymour, the husband of Lady Arabella Stuart. 
He had now become Lord Hertford, and though he held no high 
command in the army, was a great accession to the royal cause. 
He was fond of retirement and literary pursuits, but he cheerfully 
relinquished these to serve a master whose family he had no great 
reason to love. 

7. There were many other men who attained to eminence in these 
troubled times, but these are all that we need to mention now. On 
the 25th of August, 1642, in the evening of a very stormy day, the 
king set up his royal standard at Nottingham. It did not stand 

CLXVIII. — 1. Who were the most influential of the puritans in parliament? What 
of Hampden? 3. Wliat of Sir Henry Vane? What sect did he found? 4. Who were 
the military leaders for the parliament? 5. Who led the king's troops? What of 
Prince Rupert? 6. What of the Marquis of Newcastle? What of Lord Hertford? 



310 BATTLE OF EDGEHILL. — 1642. 

long, for the violence of the wind soon laid it on the ground ; an ill 
omen, which added to the gloom and sadness felt at that moment 
by all the king's friends. 

8. The character of Charles seemed in some respects to have 
changed with the times. He now displayed a vigor and address 
which astonished those who knew his former studious and inactive 
habits. The stateliness and formality of his manner were relaxed 
into a more free and engaging deportment. He had formerly been 
impatient of injury or opposition ; now he submitted with exem- 
plary resignation and cheerfulness to the necessities of his hard 
condition. One fault remained unchanged — the wavering inde- 
cision of his mind, which led to a continual change of measures, 
according to the last opinion he heard. 

9. His greatest dilBculty was to raise money. The queen found 
means to get to Holland with her own and the crown jewels, which 
she disposed of in that country; and with the proceeds she pur- 
chased a small supply of arms and ammunition. The fleet having 
taken the side of the parliament, the little vessel that conveyed 
this supply to England had great difficulty in getting safely over, 
and at last escaped being taken, by running aground at a place 
where the water was too shallow for large ships to follow. 

10. For the next six years England suffered the horrors of a 
civil war. Garrisons were placed in all the toAvns, and the people 
thought of little else but sieges and warfare. The first battle was 
fought October 3d, at Edgehill, in Warwickshire. In this contest 
neither party gained any decided advantage. Many engagements 
followed, in which the royal army, composed of well-trained sol- 
diers, under officers experienced in the art of war, commonly proved 
successful over the undisciplined forces of the parliament. 

11. But as these gained skill and experience, they became supe- 
rior to any troops the king could bring into the field ; for every 
man of them considered the cause of parliament to be his own, and 
heartily entered the service. But Charles was obliged to enlist 
any soldiers he could get, and amongst them many dissolute men, 
who ridiculed the precise and rigid character of the puritans, and 
expressed their contempt of them, not by setting a better example 
of what was right, but by showing themselves to be deriders of all 
religion and virtue. 

12. Nothing was so ruinous to the king's cause as the conduct 
of these men, who committed all kinds of violence and excess ; and 
the country-people naturally liked that party best by which they 
were most humanely treated. The parliament, finding it less easy 
to crush the king than they had expected, called in the aid of the 
Scots, and entered into what was called a Solemn League and 
Covenant with them. 

13. As the parliament exercised without reserve the right of levy- 
ing taxes, they were enabled, under continual defeat, to bring fresh 

7. When was the king's standard raised? 8. What change in Charles' character? 
9. Wliat of his supply of money? 10. Where and when was the first battle fought? 
What of the parliament's troops? 11,12. What of the king's troops? Whose aid did 



OLIVER CROMWELL. 



311 



troops into the field. But it was not till 1644 that they gained any 
decisive victory. The first was at Marston Moor, about nine miles 
from York. The battle was fought in opposition to the advice of 
the Marquis of Newcastle; and he, despairing to benefit a cause 
where such rash counsels prevailed, gave up his command the morn- 
ing after the conflict, and retired to Holland. After this there was 
a cessation of arms, and the country enjoyed a few months of rest, 
during which an attempt was made to reconcile the two parties. 



CHAPTER CLXIX. 

Oliver Cromviell. — Anecdotes of his Childhood. — His Character when 
he first appeared in Public Life.— About his Ironsides. 




OLIVER CROMWEI-Ij. 



1. During the progress of the events just narrated, the republican 
party in tlie house, who in religion were known as Independents, had 
been gradually gaining the ascendency. The chief leader of this 
party was Oliver Cromwell. This man, who was destined to act a 
very important part in the world, was born at Huntingdon, April 
25th, 1599. There is a curious story told of a narrow escape which 



the parliament solicit? 13. In what battle were the pax-lianieiifs troops victorious for 
tlie first time? 
CLXIX. — 1. Wliat party gaineil the ascendency in parliament? Wlio was their 



312 ANECDOTES OF CEOMWELL'S CHILDHOOD. 

he had, when au infant, from the mischievous tricks of a monkey. 
He had been taken to visit his grandfather, old Sir Henry Crom- 
well, at Hinchinbroke, and while his nurse was out of the way, a 
great monkey, which was allowed to run loose about the house, 
snatched him out of the cradle, and ran with him upon the roof. 

2. Here it was seen dancing about, with the child in its arms, to 
the great terror of the whole tamily. It was impossible to attempt 
to catch the animal ; the only thing that could be done was to place 
feather-beds and carpets all round the house, for the child to fall on, 
in case the monkey should let him drop. However, after some time, 
the creature returned down into the house by the way it had got up, 
and brought the boy back in safety. From his infancy, Cromwell 
was distinguished by the activity of his body and of his mind. In 
cricket, football, and other athletic sports, he always took the lead. 

3. There is another incident which is said to have happened at 
Hinchinbroke, which is not so well authenticated. It is related, 
that Oliver was there at a time when King James and his son 
Charles were on a visit to that hospitable mansion, and that the 
two boys quarrelled. Oliver was at an age and of a character to 
make little distinction between royal and plebeian blood, and, as 
the story goes, gave the prince a sound drubbing ; which circum- 
stance wiseacres in after times are glad to bring up, as an illustra- 
tion of the saying, that " coming events cast their shadows before." 

4. The study of the law was too sedentary an occupation to suit 
Cromwell's active disposition ; so, relinquishing that pursuit, at the 
age of twenty-one he married and retired into the country, where 
he turned puritan, and soon became distinguished as a preacher 
and expounder of Scripture. In 1626, he was elected member of 
parliament, and was a warm opposer of the crown. Having, in the 
support of his religious opinions, much impaired his fortunes, in 
1637, he agreed with Hampden, Pym, and some other disafiected 
persons, to leave England, and establish a settlement in America 
on republican jirincijiles. 

5. They and their families were already embarked, and the ships 
were on the point of sailing, when the king, in an evil hour for him- 
self, forbade their dei)arture. As his character became known, 
Cromwell acquired a wonderful influence over the minds of men, 
and this is to be ascribed solely to the powers of his mind, for he 
had none of that address or pleasing exterior which is generally 
necessary to obtain popularity. He knew the precise moment when 
a thing was to be done; and he had that wonderful penetration 
into people's characters, that he seemed almost to see into their 
hearts and read their thoughts. 

6. With all this, he could neither write nor speak with common 
ability. He had a vehement manner, which made ])eople suppose 
there was some great matter in his speeches ; but it was a hidden 
matter, for they were generally eo confused, that it was almost im- 



Itiulcr? When was Cromwell born? 2, 3. Relate the anecdotes of his childhood. 
4. Relate the particulars of his life till 16:17. What project did he engage in then? 
How was it defeated? 5. What of his character? 0, 7. In what power was he defl- 



BATTLE OF MARSTON MOOR. — 1644. 313 

possible to find out his meaning. We will give a passage from one 
of his speeches, and the reader may make sense of it if he can. 

7. " I confess, for it behoves me to deal plainly with you, I must 
confess, I would say I hope I may be understood in this, for indeed 
I must be tender in what I say to such an audience as this, I say I 
would be understood that in this argument I do not make a paral- 
lel between men of a different mind, and a parliament which shall 
have their deserts." The whole speech is in the same strain ; but 
this is doubtless enough. 

8. Cromwell was, at this period of his life, a sloven in his dress, 
which was the more conspicuous at a time when gentlemen's attire 
was unusually graceful. A royalist memoir-writer thus speaks of 
him : "The first time that I ever took notice of him, was in Novem- 
ber, 1640. When I came one morning to the house of commons, I 
perceived a gentleman speaking, very ordinarily apparelled ; for it 
was a plain suit, which seemed to have been made by an ill country 
tailor. His linen was plain, and not very clean, and I remember a 
speck of blood upon his hand. 

9. " His stature was of a good size ; his countenance swollen and 
reddish ; his voice harsh and untunable, and his eloquence full of 
fervor." Cromwell's appearance, however, was afterwards im- 
proved ; for the same Avriter adds, " I lived to see this very gen- 
tleman, by multiplied good successes, and by real (though usurped) 
power, having had a better tailor, and more converse among good 
company, appear of a great and majestic deportment, and comely 
presence." 

10. At length hostilities commenced between the king and the 
parliament, and a scene of action more agreeable to Cromwell's 
character was opened to him. It was chiefly owing to his exertions 
and activity that the parliament's army became so well disciplined 
and organized. He raised a body of cavalry among the hardy 
young farmers, which he commanded in person. It was Crom- 
well and his Ironsides, as his troop was called from its unyielding 
courage, that gained the victory at Marston Moor; for in the early 
part of the day fortune had inclined to the royal side. 



CHAPTER CLXX. 

The Battle of Naseby decides the Contest. — The King takes refuge with 
the Scots. — Is sold bij them to the rarliament. — He is seized by the 
Army, — Cromwell lays aside the mask. 

1. The Earl of Essex, with many others who had joined the 
parliament side with a wish to redress grievances, and not to over- 
throw the monarchy, were now anxious to make an accommodation 

cient? 8. What of his personal habits and appearance? 10. What of his military 
talents? What was his body of troops called ? Why? 

27 



314 BATTLE OF NASEBY. — 1646. 

with the king, but they were overruled by the independents. Essex 
was obliged to resign the command of the army, which was given 
to Lord Fairfax, an honest, easy man, who was the mere tool of 
Cromwell, who was next in command. This was a very clever 
contrivance on the part of the latter ; for, if things went well, he 
had the advantage ; if they went ill, Fairfax had the blame. 

2. Many thought that the cause of the parliament would be much 
injured by this change ; but tbe event proved them to be wrong; 
for, after the renewal of the war, their troops were everywhere vic- 
torious. The battle which decided the contest was fought near 
Naseby, June 14th, 1646. The king, as he was marching north- 
wards with his army, received information that Fairfax, with his 
troops, which he supposed to be in another part of the country, was 
within five miles of him. 

3. He halted, and called a council of war, in which he proposed 
to remain where he was till all his forces could be collected ; but 
the eagerness of Rupert's temper prevailed over the better judgment 
of the king, and persuaded him to march immediately against Fair- 
fax. The king showed himself to be a prudent general and a 
valorous soldier. Had he been opposed to Fairfax alone, he jjrob- 
ably would have prevailed. But Cromwell and his Ironsides 
brought terror and conquest wherever they appeared. 

4. The king's troops could not stand their onset, but gave way. 
Charles exhorted his cavalry to rally, by calling out to them, "One 
charge more, and we recover the day !" But the day was too far 
lost to be regained. Cromwell gained a complete victory ; and 
Charles was obliged to abandon his artillery and baggage to the 
enemy. Amongst other things which fell into their hands was a 
cabinet, containing copies of tlie king's private letters to the queen, 
which the parliament published. 

5. After the battle of Naseby, the king's affairs went fast to ruin. 
At length his condition became so desperate, that there seemed to be 
no alternative but to wait and be taken prisoner by the army of the 
triumphant parliament, or to throw himself upon the tender mercies 
of an army of Scots, who were engaged in the cause of the parlia- 
ment. He chose the latter, and accordingly set out one night in 
the beginning of May, 1646, disguised as the servant of Mr. Ash- 
burnham, who accompanied him. He reached the camp in safety. 

6. The Scottish generals were much surprised to see the king; 
and though they affected to treat him with great respect, they placed 
a guard upon him, and made him in reality a prisoner. The preach- 
ers did not restrain their zeal, but insulted him to his fiice. One of 
these fanatics, in a sermon j^reached before the king, reproached 
him severely, and ordered the fifty -second psalm to be sung: 

"Why dost thou, tyrant, boast thyself, 
Thy wicked deeds to praise?" 

On this the king stood up, and, with a dignity and meekness that 

CLXX. — 1. What change in the command of the army? 2. What resulted from this 
change? Wliat battle decided the contest? 5. Wliat became of the king after the 
battle? 6. How was he treated by the Scots? 7. What negotiation between the parlia- 



SEIZURE OF CHARLES BY THE ARMY. — 1647. 315 

touched even the rigid enthusiasts, called for the fifty -sixth psalm 
in turn : 

" Have mercy, Lord, on me, I pray, 
For men would me devour !" 

which was sung accordingly. 

7. The king was now obliged to issue orders for all his troops to 
submit. The Marquis of Worcester, who was above eighty-four 
years of age, held out his castle of Eayland till it was reduced to 
the utmost extremity, and was the last man in England who laid 
down his arms. As soon as the parliament knew that the king was 
in the hands of the Scots, it began to treat with them for the pos- 
session of his person. The Scots finally agreed to surrender him, 
upon receiving 400,000 pounds sterling, which was due to them, as 
pay. 

8. A private letter, giving information of the bargain, was brought 
to Charles while he was playing at chess; and his self-command 
was so great, that he continued his game without betraying, by his 
countenance or manner, that he had received any distressing news. 
In a few days he was given up to commissioners, appointed by par- 
liament, from whom he selected Mr. Herbert and Mr. Harrington, 
to attend upon him in the place of his own servants, who had been 
dismissed. 

9. The war being at an end, the parliament was desirous of dis- 
banding the array ; but the officers and soldiers found it more for 
their interest to remain together. Cromwell continued at his place 
in parliament, but secretly kept up his correspondence with the dis- 
affected troops, and by his advice they formed the bold design of 
taking possession of the king's person. An officer named Joyce 
was sent with five hundred men to seize him. This man, armed 
with pistols, made his way into the king's presence, and told him 
that he must come along with him. 

10. The king asked by what warrant he acted, and Joyce answered 
by pointing to his soldiers, who were a fine body of men, drawn up 
in the court-yard. The king said, smiling, " Your warrant is indeed 
written in fair characters and legible," and immediately accom- 
panied him to the head-quarters of the army. 

11. The parliament were thrown into the utmost consternation 
when they heard of this, and beginning to see through Cromwell's 
designs, resolved to commit him to the Tower ; but he eluded their 
purpose, and hastened to the army, where he was received with ac- 
clamations of joy. A body of troops was sent to London, and both 
the city and the parliament were subjected to the authority of Crom- 
well, who now became the acknowledged chief of his party. 

ment and tlie Scots ? 8. What Instance of Oiarles' self-command ? What was done with 
him? 9. What of the troops? What design was formed? By whom executed? 11. 
What of Cromwell ? 



316 CHARLES ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE. — 1647. 



CHAPTER CLXXI. 

Cromwell discovers the Insincerity of the King. — The latter attempts to 
escape, but is detained in the Isle of Wight, — His manner of Life 
tJiere. — Colonel Pride's Purge. 

1. The situation of the king was now more comfortable than it 
had been for some time. He was allowed to worship God according 
to the forms of his own faith ; and he frequently had the happiness 
of seeing two of his children, Henry and Elizabeth. Cromwell, who 
was present at one of these interviews, confessed that he had never 
witnessed such a touching scene. It is said that Cromwell at this 
time was ready to come to terms with the king, but that the discovery 
of his insincerity and double dealing, a proneness to which was the 
greatest defect in Charles' character, made him abandon all thoughts 
of it. 

2. It will be remembered that there were two powerful bodies, 
the army, Avith Cromwell at its head, who were supported by the 
independents, and the more moderate party of Pi'esbyterians, who 
had a majority in the parliament, and who were in correspondence 
with their religious brethren in Scotland. One day Cromwell re- 
ceived information that the king, contrary to his professions, had 
secretly made an arrangement with his political opjjonents, and that 
he and the other leaders of the indejjendents were doomed to de- 
struction. 

3. He also received information that Charles had written a letter 
to his wife, giving the details of the plan ; and that this letter would 
be sewed up in the flap of a saddle, which would be brought, at ten 
o'clock at night, to a certain inn at London, by a man who would 
saddle a horse and ride oflT to Dover. Upon tliis information, Crom- 
well, with another leader of his party, named Ireton, went on the 
appointed night to this inn, disguised as troopers. They left some 
person to keep watch at the stable, who was to tell them if any man 
came with a saddle, and they themselves went into the house, and 
sat drinking beer like common soldiers. 

4. At the specified hour they had notice that the man was come. 
They then went out, and taking the saddle away from him, opened 
the lining, and found the letter. They then returned the man his 
saddle, and he, knowing nothing of his loss, pursued his way to 
Dover. The letter confirmed the information which Cromwell had 
before received, as to the intentions of the king, and from that hour 
he vowed his destruction. 

5. Charles lived in constant apprehension of being murdered by 
some of the religious fanatics, and his fears at length drove him to 
attempt his escape from the country. He reached the coast of 

Hampshire in safety, but his usual fortune attended him ; for the 

* 

CLXXI, — 1. What of the kings condition? 2, 3, 4. Relate the anecdote of the king's 
doulile-dcaling, 5. Relate the particulars of the king's attempt to escape. Where was 



COLONEL pride's PURGE. — 1648. 317 

vessel which he expected to find there had not aiTived. He then 
sought refuge in the Isle of Wight, which was held for the parlia- 
ment by Colonel Hammond. Here he Avas once more made a pris- 
oner, and on being placed in close confinement in Carisbrook Castle, 
Herbert and Harrington alone were allowed to attend upon him. 

6. Colonel Hammond behaved with great feeling towards his 
royal prisoner, and allowed him every indulgence in his power. 
He caused a bowling-green to be prepared outside the castle, and 
built a summer-house upon it. Bowling was one of Charles' favor- 
ite amusements; and he could enjoy from the summer-house a 
better view of the sea, than from the melancholy walls of his 
prison. A part of the day the king always set aside for his devo- 
tions, and he spent much of his time alone writing in his chamber. 

7. The rest of the day he employed in reading, in exercise, and 
in conversing with his two attendants, who were both of them ac- 
complished men, particularly Mr. Herbert, who had travelled much 
in Persia and other countries of the Eiist. The zeal of the puritan 
preachers brought some of them to Carisbrook, with the intention 
of preaching before the king ; but he civilly declined hearing their 
sermons. 

8. In September, 1648, he entered into a new treaty with com- 
missioners sent by parliament, which had for a time recovered 
some of its authority. When the king met the commissioners, an 
affecting change was perceived to have taken place in his aspect 
since the preceding year. His countenance was pale and dejected ; 
his hair was turned white, and it brought tears into the eyes of the 
spectators, to see his " gray and discrowned head." These words 
are from a sonnet which he composed about this time. 

9. The treaty was seemingly drawing to a favorable conclusion, 
when Cromwell, by one daring act, annihilated the power of par- 
liament, and destroyed all Charles' hopes of security. On the 7th 
of December, 1648, he sent Colonel Pride with a body of troops to 
summon the parliament-house, a little before the time when the 
members were to assemble, with orders to exclude all who did not 
belong to the independent and republican party. 

10. Those who were disposed to make merry with this dethroning 
of a portion of those who had dethroned the king, gave to this ex- 
clusion the name of Colonel Pride's purge, by which it is at this 
day commonly known. Those members of parliament who were 
admitted, about fifty or sixty in number, immediately appointed 
themselves governors of the kingdom, and declared that no further 
negotiations should be had with the king. 

he afterwards confined? 6, 7. How did he spend his time? 8. When were negotiations 
renewed with tlie parliament? 9. What put an end to the power of the parliament? 
When? In what manner? 

27 « 



318 



HUR8T CASTLE. — 1648. 



CHAPTEE CLXXII. 

Charles is tried for High Treaso?i. — His Execution. 




TRIAL OF CHARLES I. 

1. Before his attack on the parliament, Cromwell had secured 
the possession of the king's person; for, two days before that jomj-^- 
ii^g, Charles had been removed by his orders to Hurst Castle, a 
dreary fortress on the coast of Hampshire, one of the counties of 
England, and which, at high tide, was nearly surrounded by the 
sea. In this melancholy place the king passed nearly a month. 
The room he generally sat in was so dark as to require candles at 
noonday, and his only recreation was in walking up and down the 
narrow sand-bank that connected the castle with the mainland, 
and in watching the ships that sailed past his prison. 

2. Charles supposed that he had been brought to this lonely place 
for the purpose of being murdered, and lived in the full expectation 
that each day would be his last. One night he was waked from 
his sleep by hearing the drawbridge of the castle let down, and 
soon after he heard the clatter of horsemen in the court. His 
alarm was not lessened when he learned that Major Harrison had 
arrived, for he had been warned that this person was one of those 
who intended to kill him. 

3. He was soon informed, however, that the object of the major's 
coming was to convey him to Windsor, and he was not sorry to leave 
Hurst Castle, even under such an escort. Though Charles had 

CLXXII. — 1. To what place was Charles removed by Cromwell ? 3. What was the 



TRIAL OF CHARLES FOR HIGH TREASON. — 16t9. 319 

lived in the daily expectation of a violent death, it had not occurred 
to his mind that he, a king, could be accused and brought to trial as 
a criminal, by his own subjects ; an indignity which royalty till then 
had never suflTered. He was not prepared, therefore, for the informa- 
tion, that, on the 6th of January, 1649, an accusation, or, as it is 
called, an impeachmejit, of high treason had been brought against 
him, for having presumed to appear in arms against the parliament. 

4. On the 18th of January, Charles was removed from Windsor 
to the royal palace in London, called St. James' Palace. This was, 
until quite recently, the residence of the sovereigns of Great Britain, 
and is still made use of upon state occasions ; whence the name, 
Conrt of St. James, frequently applied to the British government. 
Charles was now treated with more severity ; his guards and attend- 
ants were ordered to conduct towards him as being no longer a 
sovereign, and to call him merely Charles Stuart. His own servants 
were not permitted to wait on him at table, and common soldiers, 
in their armor, were appointed to bring him his meals. 

5. Charles was much shocked at this disrespect, but, soon re- 
covering his composure, said, "Nothing is so contemptible as a 
despised king ;" and, to avoid the disagreeable attendance of the 
soldiers, ate alone in his bed-chamber. The preparations for the 
trial were soon made, and on the 20th of January, 1649, the judges 
assembled in Westminster Hall for that purpose. The names were 
called over, and on the name of Fairfax being spoken, a voice from 
among the spectators called out, " He has more wit than to be 
here;" and when, in the articles of impeachment, the king was 
said to be accused " in the name of the people of England," the 
same voice exclaimed, " Not a tenth part of them !" 

6. The soldiers were ordered to fire at the spot from whence the 
voice had proceeded; but on its being discovered that Lady Fair- 
fax was the speaker, they, in consideration of her sex and rank, did 
not fire. Lady Fairfax had been a warm i^olitician, and had urged 
her husband to oppose the king ; but now, seeing that the struggle 
was likely to end in his sacrifice, and the exaltation of CroniAvell, 
they both heartily repented of tlie part they had taken. On the 
27th of January, Charles was declared guilty of having appeared in 
arms against the parliament, and sentenced to be beheaded on the 
third day after. 

7. As he passed along the streets, the soldiers uttered the most 
insulting and unfeeling cries. Some even spit upon him ; but one 
uttered a blessing, for which his oflicer struck him to the ground. 
The king, observing it, said, "The punishment, methinks, exceeds 
the offence." On the day preceding that fixed for his execution, he 
was permitted to see his son Henry and daughter Elizabeth ; of the 
rest of his children, two were in Holland, and one, Henrietta, in 
France. 

8. Henry was only seven years old, and his father said to him, as 
he sat upon his knee, " Mark, my child, what I say : they will cut 

next step adopted by his enemies? 4. What treatment did he now receive? 5. How 
did he bear it? What occurred at his trial? 8. What occurred at his interview with 



320 



EXECUTION OF THE KING. — 1649. 



off my head, and will want, perhaps, to make thee king ; but thou 
must not be king, so long as thy brothers Charles and James are 
alive : therefore, I charge thee, do not be made a king by them." 
The child looked earnestly in his father's face, and exclaimed, "I 
will be torn in pieces first I" — an answer that made the king shed 
tears. 




CHARLES I. TAKING LEAVE OF HIS FAMILY. 

9. On the 30th of January, 1649, Charles was led, through an 
opening made in the wall of the banqueting-room of the palace of 
Whitehall, to a scaffold erected in front of that building. He ad- 
dressed a few words to those about him ; he declared himself inno- 
cent towards his people ; but acknowledged that the execution of 
an unjust sentence was now deservedly punished by an unjust sen- 
tence inflicted on himself; so heavily did the death of Strafford 
still press upon his heart. Turning to Bishop Juxon, who attended 
him, he said, " Remember,'" and then laid his head upon the block. 
One blow severed it from the body, and the executioner, holding it 
up, said, "This is the head of a traitor!" 

10. Those present were curious, as the reader may be, to know 
what the king meant by the word " Eemember," and called upon 
Juxon to explain it. He said that it was meant to enforce the 
king's earnest injunction, that he would exhort the prince, his son, 
to forgive his father's murderers. Charles was in the forty-ninth 
year of his age, and the twenty-fifth of his reign. It will be less in- 
terruption to our story to state at once what became of his family. 
The queen lived in France, uncomfortably enough, on a pension 
allowed her by Louis XIV., who was her nephew. 

11. This pension must have been very small, or ill paid, as 
her daughter, Henrietta, was at one time obliged to remain in bed 



his childron? 9. When was he executed? Relate the particulars of his execution. 



FAMILY OF CHARLES I. 



321 



for want of fuel to make a fire. When Prince Charles, her son, 
became King of England, as you shall hear presently, the queen re- 
turned to England ; but she interfered so much in public affairs, that 
her son was obliged to send her back to France, where she died in 
1669. Prince Charles was eighteen years old when his father died, 
and of him, and his brother James and sister Mary, we shall here- 
after have more to say. 




EXECUTION OF CHARLES I. 



12. The parliament wished to bring Prince Henry up to some 
mechanical trade ; but Cromwell sent him abroad to his mother. 
He died at an early age, leaving an excellent character behind him. 
The Princess Elizabeth was to have been apprenticed to a button- 
maker; but her death, caused, it is said, by grief for her father's 
fate, prevented the execution of the intention. The Princess Hen- 
rietta was unfortunate from the beginning to the end of her life. 

13. She was born after the commencement of the civil war, and 
brought up at the dissipated court of Louis XIV., of France. She 
married that king's brother, the Duke of Orleans, and behaved in 
such a manner as to give him just displeasure ; she died suddenly, 
in the pride of youth and beauty, and is supposed to have been 
poisoned by her husband. How enviable was the fate of a little 
sister compared with hers ! 



10. How old was lie? 
king's children? 



What became of the queen? 12, 13, 14. What became of the 



322 ANECDOTES OF CHARLES I. 

14. This little princess, being only four years old, lay upon her 
death-bed. One of her attendants desired her to pray. She said 
she could not say her long prayer, meaning the Lord's prayer, but 
that she would try to say her short one : " Lighten my darkness, O 
Lord ! and let me not sleep the sleep of death." She then laid her 
little head on the pillow and expired. 

FAMILY OF CHARLES I. 

WIFE. 

Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry IV., called the Great, King of France. 

CHILDREN. 

1. Charles, Prince of Wales, ) ^. it-- i^ t?- i j • 
„ T V> 1 r TT 1 t afterwards Kings of England in 

3. James, Duke of York, j as 

6. Henry, Duke of Gloucester. 

2. Mary, who married the Prince of Orange. 

4. Elizabeth, who died young. 

5. Anna, who died before her father's death. 

7. Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans. 



succession. 



CHAPTER CLXXIII. 

Anecdotes of Charles I. — The Icon BasiUke. — Inigo Jones. — The Public 
Buildings viutilated by the Puritans. — William Harvey. — The Sect 
of Quakers rises. 

1. The late king had many well-wishers and warm friends, but 
these were, in general, helpless people, or persons who had already 
exhausted all their means in his cause. But they took various 
methods of making known the sympathy which they felt for him in 
his misfortunes, and, at the risk of being punished by the parlia- 
ment, showed him many little acts of kindness. 

2. As he was on his way to his prison at Carisbrook Castle, one 
day in November, a lady presented him with a damask rose, which 
had blown in her garden at that unusual season. The gift, to be 
sure, was nothing in itself, but, as showing the feelings of the giver, 
was of great value to the poor prisoner. The day before his execu- 
tion, one of his old servants sent his humble duty to him, and begged 
he would read the second chapter of Ecclesiastes. The king sent 
his thanks to the good old man for his kind remembrance of him, 
and immediately read the chapter with much satisfiiction. He was 
in the habit of reading the Bible every day, and found in it his best 
support and consolation in his afflictions. 

3. A few days after the death of Charles, a book was published 
called Icon BasiUke, or, as these words have been rendered, " The 
king's portraiture in his solitudes and his sufferings." This book pur- 
ports to have been written by the king, and so general was the belief, 

CLXXIII.— 1, 2. What of the king's friends? What of the Icon Basilike? What 



MUTILATION OF THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS. — 1649. 323 

that it passed through fifty editions in one year. The authorship of 
this book is still a matter of dispute; but most persons suppose the 
real author to have been Dr. Gauden, afterwards Bishop of Exeter. 

4. Charles was fond of literature, and was found fault with by 
some for paying more attention to style in writing than was proper 
for a great monarch. He was also a lover of pictures, and some- 
times handled the pencil himself. The pieces of foreign masters 
were bought up at a vast price ; and the value of pictures doubled 
in Europe in consequence of the rivalry of Charles and Philip IV. 
of Spain to possess themselves of the best. All the king's pictures 
were sold by order of parliament, who carried their hatred of royalty 
to such a length as to cause some of the royal palaces to be pulled 
in pieces, and the materials to be sold. 

5. Many of these palaces had been built or improved by Inigo 
Jones, a celebrated architect, much favored by Charles and by his 
father. Jones incurred the displeasure of parliament by his fidelity 
to his royal master, and for having, in rebuilding the great church 
of St. Paul's in London, pulled down some houses to make room for 
it, in obedience to the orders of the government. The Puritans con- 
bidered these great churches and cathedrals as remnants of Popery, 
and took especial delight in destroying and disfiguring them. 

6. The beautiful painted glass in the windows, the statues of the 
saints on the outside, and even the monuments of the dead, were 
destroyed. The lead was stripped from the roofs, and the brass 
plates from the tombs, and used for making bullets and cannon. 
Many of the cathedrals were used as barracks. In Chichester 
Cathedral, the place is pointed out where Cromwell's soldiers 
littered down their horses. The king's library at St. James' 
palace was saved by the prudence of John Selden, a distin- 
guished scholar and philosopher, one of the liberal party in poli- 
tics, though opposed to the extreme measures of his friends. 

7. Most of the men of genius and ability who lived at this time 
were on the side of the parliament. But William Harvey, who dis- 
covered the circulation of the blood and the proper office of the heart 
in animals, was the king's physician, and the king took much interest 
in his investigations. This important discovery occasioned a great 
loss of practice to its author. So absurd did the doctrine appear, 
which now seems so clear that it is absurd to doubt its truth. 

8. The patience and resignation with which Charles bore his mis- 
fortunes excite our sympathy, but should not prevent our doing 
justice to the motives and character of his opponents. Many, if not 
most, of the leaders were actuated by the most conscientious regard 
for the public good, without any personal feelings of selfishness or 
ambition. In private life, the members of this party were, on the 
whole, far more estimable in their conduct than the royalists. 

9. There is one sect of Christians which arose about this time, 
whose pure morals and peaceful lives make them worthy of regard. 



of Charles' taste for learning and the arts? 5. What of Inigo Jones? 6. How were the 
public edifices treated by the piiritans? Who saved the royal library? 7. What of 
William Harvey? 9. What of the Quakers? 



324 ENGLAND A COMMONWEALTH. — 1649. 

This was the sect of Quakers. The founder Avas George Fox, who 
was born of poor parents, and bound apprentice to a slioemaker. He 
was never a student of books, but tlie gi'eat success of his preaching 
is a proof that he had studied human nature to some purpose. 



CHAPTER CLXXIV. 

England a Commonwealth. — Incident connected with the Siege of Fon- 
tefract Cattle. — The /Scots invite Prince Charles to be their King. — 
They are defeated at Dunbar by Cronnuell. — Charles marches into 
England, and is defeated at Worcester. 

1. The first act of parliament, after the death of the king, was to 
abolish the house of lords, as being useless and dangerous. A new 
great seal of England was made, with this legend, as the inscription 
on a seal is called, " Tlie first year of Freedom, by God's blessing, 
restored 1648." In 1633, an equestrian statue of brass had been 
erected in honor of King Charles. The parliament ordered this, 
which was the first equestrian statue set up in England, to be 
broken in pieces and sold for old brass. The state, under its new 
form of government, was called The Commonwealth of England. 

2. It was made high treason, which is the highest crime against 
any government, to call Prince Charles by any other name than 
Charles Stuart. But some of his friends had the courage to print 
and distribute a paper proclaiming him King of England. Small 
bands of the royalists still maintained themselves in different parts 
of the country, chiefly in the fortified castles. These were all sub- 
dued, and the castles, for the most part, destroyed, to prevent their 
again becoming a source of annoyance. There is quite a romantic 
story told about the final capture and destruction of one of these. 

3. Pontefract Castle had been taken and retaken more than once 
during the war, and in 1649 was held by a party of Nottingham- 
shire gentlemen, who valiantly defended themselves. Cromwell 
himself had gone to Ireland, from which quarter the English had 
reason to apprehend the most danger, since the Irish were almost 
all royalists. He therefore sent Lambert, one of his generals, to 
reduce Pontefract Castle. The garrison were soon obliged to solicit 
terms ; and Lambert agreed that, on giving up the castle, all the 
garrison should have leave to depart in safety, six persons ex- 
cepted, whose names he mentioned, who, having been particularly 
active against the parliament, must be put to death. 

4. The garrison could not bear the thought of giving up any of 
their brother soldiers to certain destruction, and demanded of Lambert 
that they might have six days allowed them before they surrendered 

CLXXIV. — 1. What did parliament do after the king's death? What was the state 
called? What of the royalists? 3. What of Pontefract Castle? 7. Who supported 



BATTLE OF DUNBAR. 1650. 325 

the castle ; during which it should be permitted for their six com- 
panions to use any honorable means of making their escape. Lam- 
bert granted their desire, saying that he knew these six persons to 
be brave and gallant gentlemen, and that, if he might, he would 
gladly save them all. 

5. During the first four days the garrison made frequent sallies, 
and four of the six contrived to effect their escape. Sir Hugh 
Cartwright and one other remained behind ; and they, being un- 
willing to expose any more of the lives of their friends, contrived 
another way of saving themselves. They found a convenient 
nook amongst the walls, where they caused themselves to be 
walled up with a month's provisions, trusting to the hope that the 
king's troops would retake the castle in that time. 

6. The rest of the garrison then sent word to Lambert that they 
were ready to surrender. When they had left the castle, Lambert, 
luckily for the two immured heroes, destroyed the castle, and left 
the place in ruins. Sir Hugh and his companion, after ten days, 
finding all quiet, left their hiding-place, and made their escajie. 

7. It might naturally be expected that the Irish, who were for 
the most part Roman Catholics, should be opposed to the parlia- 
ment; but this body was also opposed to the Scottish Presbyterians, 
who refused to acknowledge the English republic, and, resolving 
to adhere to the monarchy, invited Charles to take possession of the 
throne ; but upon such hard conditions that his best friends coun- 
selled him not to make such sacrifices for the empty title of king. 
But Charles, who entertained, probably, the dishonest intention of 
breaking his ^jromise as soon as his power was established, agreed 
to everything, and went to Scotland. 

8. He found his situation in that country comfortless enough. 
He was treated with none of the respect usually paid to a sov- 
ereign, and was, indeed, little better than a helpless prisoner in 
the hands of merciless tormentors. He was naturally of a lively 
disposition, and delighted only in gayety ; but he was not allowed 
to enter into any kind of amusements, and was harassed from morn- 
ing till night by the covenanters, who sought, by dint of sermons 
and exhortations, to convert him to their faith. 

9. Lender these circumstances, he was secretly rejoiced to learn 
that Cromwell, who in a few months had reduced Ireland to sub- 
jection, was now advancing with a powerful army to drive him 
from his uneasy throne. Cromwell posted himself at Dunbar, 
where he was attacked on September 3d, 1650, by the Scots under 
General Leslie. Though twice as numerous as the English, these 
met with a terrible defeat, and Cromwell would soon have made 
himself entire master of the kingdom, had he not been attacked 
with a violent fit of illness, and obliged to return to England. 

10. But the next year he again entered Scotland, and advanced 
so far into the country as to leave the army of the royalists between 
himself and England. Charles, seeing the road to England open, 

the rights of Prince Charles? 8, What of Charles' situation in Scotland? 9. When and 
where was the battle between the Scots and English fonght? 10. What bold project did 

28 



326 DEFEAT OF THE ROYALISTS AT WORCESTER. — 1661. 

formed the bold resolution of marching forward into that country, 
believing that he should there be joined by all his friends. But he 
was deceived in this hope, and he arrived at Worcester with only 
his 14,000 Scots. 

11. Cromwell, when he found that Charles had slipped by him, 
left his army in Scotland under the command of General Monk, 
and followed him with all possible expedition, calling upon the 
people of the country through which he passed to join him in re- 
pelling the invaders. The call was promptly obeyed, so that by the 
time he reached Worcester he mustered a considerable force. The 
next day, September 3d, 1651, he surrounded the town with his 
troops, and, attacking the royal army, soon destroyed it. 



CHAPTER CLXXV. 

Adventures of Charles after the Battle of Worcester. 




KING CHARLES IN THE OAK. 

1. After a desperate resistance, Charles was forced to seek 
safety in flight, and he did not stop till he reached Whiteladies, a 
house twenty-six miles from AVorcester, on the borders of Shrop- 



Charles form? 11. What did Cromwell do? When and where were Charles' troops 
defeated ? 



ADVENTURES OF CHARLES II. — 1651. 327 

shire and Staffordshire, and occupied by a staunch royalist named 
George Penderill. The prince met with a most kind reception ; but 
it was thought that he would be safer at a place called Boscobel, 
situated about a mile distant on a wild hilly common, where lived 
Richard Penderill, a brother of George's. 

2. Richard was sent for, and soon arrived. What followed we 
will give in the words of the narrative, which was published in the 
king's name after his restoration. " Richard was no sooner come in 
than he was called upon to make haste and bring his best clothes, 
which were a jump and breeches of green, coarse cloth, and a doe- 
skin leather doublet; the hat was borrowed of Humphrey Penderill 
the miller, being an old gray one, that turned up its brims ; the 
shirt, which in that country language they called burden, of cloth 
that is made of the coarsest of the hemp, was had of one Edward 
Martin, George's band, and William Creswell's shoes, which tlie 
king, having unstripped himself of his own clothes, did nimbly put 
on. 

3. " His buflF coat and linen doublet, and a gay pair of breeches, 
which he wore before, were buried in the ground. The jewels off 
his arm he gave to one of the lords who attended him. Then 
Richard came with a pair of shears and rounded the king's hair, 
which my Lord Wilmot having before cut with a knife, had un- 
towardly notched ; and the king was pleased to take notice of his 
good barbering, so as to prefer his work before my Lord Wilmot's ; 
and now his majesty was a la mode the woodman." 

4. Taking an axe in his hand, Charles proceeded to a neighboring 
wood, where he passed the day without being discovered by the 
enemy's troops, who had come to Whiteladies in search of him. At 
nightfall he went to Boscobel, where he ate a hearty supper, and 
then started for Wales, whence he hoped to escape into France. But 
after one night and day spent in a barn at Madeby, he returned to 
Boscobel. Here he found Colonel Careless, who had been his com- 
panion in arms at Worcester. 

5. Being told that it was dangerous for them either to remain in 
the house or to go again into the wood, they both mounted into a 
large oak. Tliis tree had been lopped three or four years before, 
and being grown out very bushy and thick, could not be seen 
through ; but the fugitives could see the soldiers passing backward 
and forward, searching for them. Notwithstanding his perilous 
situation, Charles enjoyed a good nap, resting his head in the 
colonel's lap. When he awoke he was very hungry, and his friend 
regaled him with some bread and cheese, which Penderill's provident 
dame had not forgotten. 

6. It was not deemed safe for Charles to remain long in one part 
of the country ; accordingly, at night, on the 7th of September, he set 
out for Marseby. His feet were so bruised and galled that he could 
not walk ; so Humphrey, the miller, mounted him on his mill-horse, 
and thus he made his journey in safety. On the 9th he went to the 

CLXXV.— 1. Whither did Charles fly after his defeat at Worcester? 2, 3, 4. Relate 
what took place wliile he remained at Boscobel. In what did he find refuge during part 



828 SUCCESSFUL WAR WITH HOLLAND. — 1652. 

house of Colonel Lane, a steady royalist, whose wife, Mrs. Jane 
Lane, had some time before obtained permission from the parlia- 
ment's general, to i^roceed with a servant to Leigh, near Bristol. 

7. It was arranged that Charles should act the servant. Accord- 
ingly, early on the 10th, having put on a suit of country gray cloth, 
and taking the name of William Jackson, he set out on horseback, 
with Mrs. Lane on a pillion behind him. They stayed that night at 
the house of Mr. Tombs, at Long-Maston. Will Jackson, of course, 
passed the evening in the kitchen. The cook, a great rough coun- 
trywoman, told him to wind up the roasting-jack for her. 

8. This was novel work for Charles, and he set about his task in 
such a blundering way, that the cook exclaimed to him in a passion, 
" What countryman are you, that j'ou know not how to wind up a 
jack?" The king answered, with all appearance of humility, that 
he was a poor Staffordshire lad ; that they seldom had roast meat at 
home, and that when they had, they did not make use of a jack. 

9. On the 12th they arrived safely at Leigh. Upon the pretence 
that he was sick of an ague, a better chamber was provided for W^ill 
Jackson than servants are usually treated with ; and some of the 
best meat, a matter about which he seems to have been by no means 
indifierent, was sent to him from the master's table. 

10. We have not space to relate all Charles' romantic adventures 
and hair-breadth escapes between this time and the 15th of October, 
when he succeeded in embarking at Shoreham in a small vessel, from 
which he was landed the next day in Normandy. During his wan- 
dering he was obliged to confide in a large number of persons, both 
of high and low degree ; but not one of them violated this confidence, 
notwithstanding an enormous sum of money was promised by par- 
liament to any person who would arrest him, and the most severe 
punishment threatened to be inflicted upon all who should assist in 
concealing him. 



CHAPTER CLXXVI. 

Success of the English in a War with Holkind. — Cromwell makes him- 
self sole Ruler. — Curious Names adopted by the Puritans. 

1. While Charles was wandering about, an unhappy fugitive, 
the party in power went on triumphantly. Monk was successful in 
Scotland ; Ireton held everything quiet in Ireland. The fleets under 
Admirals Blake and Ayscue kept off foreign invaders, and reduced 
to obedience the colonies in America and the West Indies. The 
country was now in a condition to demand redress for the injuries 
and insults that had been received from foreign states. 



of the time? 6. Relate the particulars of his escape from Boscobel. What happened t( 
him till his final escape from the country ? 



VIOLENT DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT. — 1663. 



329 



2. The demand was first made upon Holland, which, from the 
superior excellence of her ships and the skill of her seamen, was 
supposed by herself and other countries to be invincible upon the 
ocean. But the British navy, manned by sailors whom the circum- 
stances of the times had made bold and valiant, and commanded by 
the gallant Blake, soon convinced them of the contrary. For, with 
greatly inferior forces, he repeatedly gained victories over the vet- 
eran admirals Van Tromp, De Euy'ter, and De Witt. 




CROMWELL DISSOLVING THE PARLIAMENT. 

3. But the parliament, who were the nominal rulers of the coun- 
try, were entitled to no share of the praise for these successes, A 
government, to be well administered, must have one efficient head. 
There were many men of ability in the parliament, but each had 
his own particular ideas about the best mode of carrying on the 
government, which he would not surrender. 

4. Things could not long continue in this state ; the safety of all 
required a change. Whilst they were quarrelling about the best 
mode of steering, the good ship of state was in danger of being 
dashed to pieces on the rocks ; some one man nuist take possession 
of the helm ; and who should this be but Cromwell, to whose energy 
and watchfulness she had been indebted for her prosperous course 
thus far ? 



CLXXVI. — 1. What of the successes of the parliament? 2. What demands on foreign 
nations ? With what success against Holland ? 3, 4. What of the leaders in parliament f 

28* 



330 CROMWELL MAKES HIMSELF SOLE RULER. 1653. 

5. He resolved to do so ; and his credit was too firmly established 
to need any artifice ; accordingly, on the 20th of April, 1653, he 
went to tlie parliament-liouse, while the members were assembled, 
and, placing a file of soldiers at the door, entered the hall and sat 
down. After sitting some time, he suddenly started up, exclaim- 
ing, " This is the time, — I mnst do it !" meaning, that what he was 
about to do, was to be done by the express command of God. We 
have already stated that the Puritans were remarkably strict in all 
religious observances. 

6. The Independents were the most rigid of Puritans ; they took 
the Bible for their law-book ; and, being ardent and enthusiastic, 
persuaded themselves that God took an immediate part in the affairs 
of the world, and nuide known his will to such as asked it of him 
by sincere and earnest prayer. Acting upon this belief, the leaders, 
on important occasions, resorted to prayer, and their decision was 
in accordance with the answer supposed to be returned — a very 
unsafe mode of proceeding, since, the interpretation resting with 
themselves, it would always be in correspondence with their own 
wishes. 

7. Thus, the execution of Charles was asserted to have been in 
compliance with a divine command directly made known to them. 
Doubtless, many of the Puritans were sincere ; perhaps some were 
hypocrites. The enemies of Cromwell say that he belonged to the 
latter class ; for a man of his great abilities, they assert, could not 
have so deceived himself. This, however, is one of the points in 
history that can never be decided ; certain it is, that he exhibited 
every mark of sincerity. 

8. We shall now understand his exclamation. He had been seek- 
ing counsel from on high, and the result was now to be made known. 
Turning to the members, he loaded them with reproaches; he then 
stamped with his foot ; on which signal the soldiers entering the hall, 
he ordered them to drive all the members out ; first saying, " You 
are no longer a jtarliament ; the Lord has chosen other instruments 
for carrying on his work. I have sought the Lord night and day, 
that he would rather slay me than put me upon this work." 

9. He stayed till the hall was cleared ; then, ordering the door to 
be locked, he put the keys into his pocket, and returned to the 
palace at Whitehall, where he and his family had taken up their 
residence. He was now the sole head of the government, and 
assumed more authority than even the most arbitrary of the kings 
had done. To keep up something of the appearance of a common- 
wealth, he summoned a parliament, consisting of the most ignorant 
religious fanatics. 

10. One of the chief orators in this parliament was one Barebone; 
hence it was called Barebone's parliament. The Puritans, to show 
their religious zeal, discarded the usual Christian names as being 
heathenish, and adopted others which they deemed more holy. 
Even the New Testament names of James, Thomas, Peter, &c.. 



5. Relate the particulars of Cromwell's attack on the parliament. 9. What of the extent 
of his power? 10. What was the parliament called ? What is said of names? 



RECEIVES THE TITLE OF PROTECTOR. — 1653. 331 

were not held in such regard as those borrowed from the Old Testa- 
ment, such as Habakkuk and Zerubbabel. Sometimes a whole 
sentence was adopted. Thus we read oi Stand-fasi-on-high Stringer, 
Kill-Sin Pimple, Fight-the-Good-Fight-of-Faith White, More-Fruit 
Fowler, Good-Reward Smart. 

11. Barebone himself was named Praise- God, and he had a brother 
named, //- Christ-had-not-died-for-you,-you-had-been-damned Bare- 
bone. This was too long a name to be repeated every time he was 
addressed, so people generalty called him Damned Barebone. The 
parliament went to work as pompously as if it really possessed 
power; but its conduct was so absurd, that Cromwell became 
ashamed of it, and sent all the members about their business. 



CHAPTER CLXXVII. 

Cromwell made Protector. — Prosperous State of England under his 
Government. — A Conspiracy formed by the Royalists, but Cromwell 
gets information of it by means of the Post-office. — Newspapers. — The 
Members of CroniweWs Family. — His Death. 

1. The officers of the army, acting under the direction of Crom- 
well, now prepared a new constitution, which vested the supreme 
authority in him, with the title of Protector. He now assumed all 
the state of a king, and acted his part with the greatest dignity ; 
his wife was called Her Highness ; and his daughters were waited 
upon by ambassadors and foreigners as if they had been princesses. 
The great mass of the people were thankful to get rid of the oppres- 
sion of the parliament, and to enjoy a settled government. Justice 
was administered jiromptly, and order maintained. 

2. Under Cromwell's wise and energetic government, England 
enjoyed prosperity at home, and the respect and consideration of 
foreign powers, to a degree to which she had never before attained. 
The Dutch were soon obliged to sue for peace. Jamaica was taken 
from the Spaniards, and still remains a possession of Great Britain. 
A new parliament, which he summoned, offered Cromwell the title 
of king, but he refused it ; and was contented to have the protector- 
ship confirmed to him for life, with the power of conferring it on 
whomsoever he pleased at his death. 

3. The royalists did not remain idle ; and in 1655, a plan for a 
general rising was adopted. But Cromwell had full information of 
their designs, having the carriers and postmasters so fully under his 
control, that no treasonable letters could pass undiscovered ; and 
before the appointed day many of the royalists were taken up; 
some were punished with death, and some were sold for slaves, and 

CLXXVII. — 1. What title was assigned to Cromwell? 2. What of England under his 



332 



POST-OFFICES AND LETTERS. 



sent to Barbadoes. This act struck terror through the disaffected, 
and no considerable attempt was afterwards made to overturn the 
protector's power. 



J' 



ij Mmi^^^^^^^^^^^ 




CEOMWEI.L REJECTING THE CROWN. 

4. Post-offices, which proved of such service to Cromwell, had 
not been long established. Charles I. appointed a post to carry- 
letters once a week between London and Edinburgh. But the sys- 
tem was much extended and improved under Cromwell. In earlier 
times, there were persons whose business it was to carry letters ; and 
in the time of Henry VIII., there were established carriers; but the 
system was very imperfect and irregular. The curious way in which 
letters were formerly directed would puzzle a modern postmaster. 

5. A letter addressed by a nobleman of Henry VIII.'s court to 
Lord Shrewsbury, was thus directed: "To the right honorable and 
our very good lord the Earl of Shrewsbury, president of the king's 
majesty's council in the north parts. Haste for thy life, post — 
haste, haste, haste — for thy life, post, haste." The letter did not 
require any extraordinary haste ; and indeed Lord Shrewsbury's 
correspondent, either in that letter or in some other, apologizes for 
putting so much speed in the direction, and adds, "The only cause 
is that the posts be so slow." 



rule 1 3. What of the royalists ? How did Cromwell become informed of their designs ? 
4. What is said of the post-office? 6. When were newspapers introduced? 7. What 



Cromwell's family — his death. — 1658. 333 

6. The mention of the post-ofRce naturally reminds us of news- 
papers. These were first circulated in the reign of Elizabeth, in 
order, we believe, to apprise the country of the defeat of the 
Spanish Armada. After this, they must have been discontinued 
for many years, since the date commonly assigned to their first 
publication is that of 1642. 

7. Though no attempts were openly made against him, Cromwell 
knew, by means of his spies, that many persons had formed the de- 
sign of taking his life. Though he had so often braved danger in 
battle with intrepidity, he now betrayed a more than common fear 
of death ; and every moment of his life was made miserable by the 
apprehension of losing it. If any stranger looked earnestly at him, 
it made his heart sink within him. He always wore armor under 
his clothes, and he never dared to sleep in the same apartment 
more than two or three nights at a time. 

8. His mother, who had been brought from her retirement to 
share his greatness, also shared his apprehensions ; she never heard 
a gun go off, or a sudden noise, without exclaiming, "My son is 
shot !" and she was never satisfied of his safety unless she saw him 
twice a day. Cromwell was very fond of his mother, who was 
worthy of his love, and he was always an affectionate and dutiful 
son. Her dying request, however, he disobeyed ; for, instead of 
burying her as she desired, in a private manner, he caused her to 
be interred with more than royal pomp. 

9. Cromwell's wife was also an excellent woman, and brought up 
her children very well. She was always apprehensive of a change 
of fortune ; and often besought her husband to secure himself from 
danger from the royalists, by offering his youngest daugliter in 
marriage to Charles. It is believed that prince would have made 
no objection to such a match ; but Cromwell's usual answer was, 
" I tell you, Charles Stuart will never forgive me for his father's 
death." 

10. The loss of his favorite daughter, Mrs. Claypole, added much 
to Cromwell's gloom ; and from the time of her death he never was 
observed to smile. She was a zealous royalist, as were also his 
daughters Lady Franconberg and Lady Rich. His other daughter, 
who had first married General Ireton, and afterwards General Fleet- 
wood, was a violent republican — that is, in favor of a government 
conducted by representatives of the people. 

11. Nor did Cromwell receive much sympathy or support from 
his eldest son, Richard, whom he designed to be his successor, for 
he was a man of inferior abilities, and of no ambition ; he much 
preferred the quiet of his little farm to all the splendors of royalty, 
which, with its accompanying cares and fatigues, he was soon called 
upon to endure. Henry, the youngest son, was a man of great 
talents and extraordinary goodness. Although very young, he was 
intrusted with the government of Ireland, which he conducted with 
so much prudence as to gain the love of the people, whose condition 
he did all in his power to improve. 

rendered Cromwell's life miseralile? 8. What of his mother? 9. What of his wife? 



334 RICHARD CROMWELL PROCLAIMED PROTECTOR. — 1658. 

12. It is not surprising that Cromwell's bodily frarae sunk under 
the weight of cares and anxieties. He died September 3d, 1658, in 
the fifty-ninth year of his age; and his body was deposited with 
great pomp in Westminster Abbey. It was a long time before any- 
thing like justice was done to the character of Cromwell by his own 
countrymen. The zealous royalists could see nothing good or great 
in any person who denied that kings have a natural right to rule, 
whatever may be their capacity, or however much they may oppress 
their subjects. 

13. Others thought to curry favor with the monarch who suc- 
ceeded to the throne, by heajjing abuse upon the memory of one 
whom they called a usurper. But the great mass of the English 
people have now adopted the opinion which foreigners held from 
the beginning, that Cromwell was one of the greatest men that 
England has produced, taking the world's estimate of greatness. 
He was, indeed, a great general, statesman, and sovereign. 



CHAPTER CLXXVIII. 

Richard Cromwell proclaimed Protector. — He finds himself unable to 
maintain himself in office, and resigns. — General Monk marches with 
his Army to London, and proclaims Charles II. King, who returns to 
England, and everything is restored to its ancient footing. 

1. Richard Cromwell was proclaimed protector upon his 
father's death. But the nation soon found the difference between 
the strong hand of Oliver Cromwell, and the weakness and inde- 
cision of his son, and showed a disposition to cast off his authority. 
But Richard quietly resigned a dignity which he had neither the 
power nor the inclination to keep ; thus wisely saving himself from 
being dispossessed by violence. He held the protectorship only 
a few months. 

2. Henry Cromwell also resigned his command in Ireland, though 
his popularity in that country was very great, and he might have 
retained his power there if he had chosen to do so ; but he preferred 
the tranquillity of a private station to the dangerous and uncertain 
enjoyments of ambition. He well describes his own character in a 
letter which he wrote to his brother Avhen he resigned his power. 
" I would rather," he says, " submit to any suffering with a good 
name, than be the greatest man on earth without it." 

3. The country was now left without any government, and each 
party was full of hopes of establishing its own favorite form. 
Those members of parliament who had been so unceremoniously ex- 
pelled by Cromwell in 1653, met and assumed the control of affairs. 

10. Whatof his daughters? 11. What of hia sons? 12. When did Cromwell die? 13. 
What led to a false estimate of liis character? 

CLXXVIII.— 1. What of Richard Cromwell? 2. What of Ilcnrv Cromwell? 3. What 



CONTENTIONS OF THE RIVAL PARTIES. — 1660. 



335 



But they found no support from any party, and were once more 
put to flight by General Lambert, who commanded the army, and 
who hoped by its assistance to obtain the vacant protectorship. 

4. In the mean time, Charles, on hearing what was passing in 
England, came to Calais, that he might be at hand to take advan- 
tage of any circumstance favorable to his cause. For some time 
there seemed to be little chance for him ; but at last, what the 
efforts of his friends could not do, the rivalry of his enemies brought 
about. Lambert and Monk had long hated each other ; and Monk, 
partly to disappoint Lambert in his ambitious hopes, and partly to 
please his wife, who was a zealous royalist, formed the design of 
restoring Charles, and entered into correspondence with him. 

5. But so well did Monk conceal his design, that it was thought 
he was acting for the parliament, so that he was able to march 
from Scotland to London, not only without opposition, but he was 
even joined on the way by Lambert's troops, who arrested their 
general and put him in the Tower. On the 1st of May, 1660, Monk 
ventured to propose to a new parliament, which he had assembled, 
the restoration of the king. The proposition was received with joy 




CHARLES II. LANDING AT DOVKR. 



by the people, who were tired of the anarchy which had prevailed 
since the death of Oliver Cromwell, and which his good government 
made the more striking;. 



body assumed the government? 4. What did Charles do? What aided his caiise? 5. 



336 



RESTORATION OF CHARLES II. — 1660. 



6. The peers hastened to assemble and to assxame their old rights 
as one of the houses of parliament. On the 8th of May, Charles 
was formally proclaimed king, and a committee sent to invite hira 
to return and take possession of the throne. He was met at Dover 
by General Monk, who conducted him to London, which he en- 
tered May 29th, 1660. As a reward for these great services, Monk 
was created Duke of Albemarle, and received a large sum of money 
to support his new dignity. 




CHARLES II. ENTERING LONDON. 

7. Everything about the court was now restored to its former 
condition. Old courtiers returned to their old places; even the 
statue of Charles I. resumed its ancient pedestal; for it seems the 
brazier to whom it was sold, thought he might make a better specu- 
lation by saving it whole, than melting it down ; so he disobeyed 
the orders of the parliament to break it in pieces, and buried it in 
the ground, frou^ which it now made its reappearance. 

8. Having thus seated Charles upon the throne, we must dispose 
of the Cromwell family, and then give an account of some of the 
other great men who flourished during the Commonwealth. Though 
Charles showed no disposition to molest Richard Cromwell, still he 
thought it safest to leave the country for a time. In the course of 
his travels he was introduced, under a borrowed name, to the French 
Prince of Conti, who, talking of English affairs, broke out into ad- 
miration of Cromwell's courage and capacity. " But what," said 
the prince, "has become of that pitiful fellow Richard?" 

9. He returned to England, and, taking the name of Clark, lived 



Who proposed the calling of Charles II. to the throne? 6. When was he proclaimed? 
When did he arrive in London? 7. What followed the restoration of the monarchy? 
8. What became of Richard Cromwell ? What of Henry? 



DISTINGUISHED MEN OF THE TIMES. 837 

to be a very old man. Henry became a highly respected country 
gentleman. King Charles was out hunting one day, and seeing a 
gentleman's house, rode up to it to obtain some refres^hment. When 
Henry Cromwell, whose residence it was, saw the king, he was 
somewhat embarrassed ; but Charles, by his gracious manner, soon 
set him at ease, and the visit went off very agreeably. The king 
was as much pleased with the kindness and simplicity of Mr. Crom- 
well's manners and appearance, as the latter was with the good 
humor and pleasantry of the king. 



CHAPTER CLXXIX. 

Account of Milton. — Andrew Marvell. — Algernon Sydney. — James 
Harrington. 

1. Whitelocke, one of the otBcers of state during the common- 
wealth, wrote an account of what happened at that period ; and, 
amongst other things, he tells us that one Milton, a blind man, was 
employed to translate into Latin a treaty which he had himself 
negotiated with Sweden. 

2. " Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke, one of our Lords of the Treasury," 
would have thought the assertion too ridiculous to be a matter for 
anger, if any one had said that long after his name should be for- 
gotten by all but learned antiquaries, the name of this same Milton 
would be familiar to all, from the palace to the cottage. But so it 
is. A person must be very ignorant indeed, who does not know 
that John Milton wrote the Paradise Lost, a poem which, for sub- 
limity and purity, has never been equalled. 

3. Milton, in his youth, had light-brown hair, regular and hand- 
some features, and he was so fair, that at the University of Cam- 
bridge he was called " the lady of Christ College." He was about 
the middle size, well proportioned and active, but never very healthy. 
Being a puritan, and very learned, he was appointed Latin Secretary 
to the council in the early days of the commonwealth, and was re- 
tained in that oftice by Cromwell, for whom he had the greatest 
admiration and resj^ect. In those times the Latin language was 
used in the intercourse between nations. 

4. Intense application to study gradually destroyed his sight, but 
this did not destroy his usefulness ; for others wrote down what he 
dictated. His two youngest daughters used to read to him, and in 
eight different languages, though they themselves understood only 
the English; "one tongue," their father was wont to say, ''was 
enough for a woman." He had also a kind quaker friend, named 
Thomas Ellwood, who paid him a daily visit, and acted as his scribe. 
He wrote an answer to the "Icon Basilike," and many other polit- 
ical works, which made him very obnoxious to the royalists. 

CLXXIX. — 3. What of Milton in his youth? What appointment did he hold during 
the commonwealth? 4. What personal misfortune did he meet with? What of his 

29 



338 DISTINGUISHED MEN OF THE TIMES. 

5. At the restoration he was obliged to conceal himself for a time, 
and afterwards lived in poverty in London. There were, however, 
some men of rank and distinction, who delighted to converse with 
the blind bard, as he sat before his door, clad in a coarse gray coat, 
enjoying the refreshing breezes of a summer evening. It was now 
that'he composed his great poem of Paradise Lost, which he mod- 
estly submitted to the judgment of his friend Ellwood. The latter 
read it, and, on returning it to him, expressed his approbation, add- 
ing, " Thou hast said much here of Paradise Lost, but what hast 
thou to say of Paradise Found ?" 

6. The "hint was not lost ; Milton composed the " Paradise Re- 
gained," and when it was finished, putting it into the hands of Ell- 
wood, he said, " This is owing to you ; for you put it into my head 
by the question you put to me." For the Paradise Lost, Milton 
received from the publishers only fifteen pounds, (less than seventy- 
five dollars,) a smaller sum than is sometimes paid for a single article 
in a modern magazine. Milton was born December 9th, 1608, and 
died in November, 1674. 

7. Milton's assistant in the office of secretary was Andrew Marvell,- 
who was a man of great wit, as well as learning. After the restora- 
tion, he wrote many pamphlets against arbitrary government, which 
contained so much humor that they were exceedingly popular, and 
much dreaded by the court party. It was thought advisable to try 
to buy him over to their side. So the king sent his minister, Danby, 
to make a bargain with him. Danby with some difficulty found his 
way to his mean lodgings, in an obscure court. 

8. Marvell supposed his visitor had lost his way, but when in- 
formed that Danby came from the king, who wished to know what 
he would do to serve him, he answered that it was not in his maj- 
esty's power to serve him. When pressed to accept any office the 
court could give, Marvell re])lied, that he could not take any, for in 
such case he must either be ungrateful to the king by opposing him, 
or false to his country by supporting his measures. Dauby then 
said that he was the bearer of £1000 from the king as a mark of 
his respect ; but the inflexible patriot rejected it, though he had to 
borrow money to pay for his dinner. 

9. There were many eloquent speakere and writers on government 
and law in Cromwell's time ; the most distinguished were Algernon 
Sydney and James Harrington. The former was the son of the Earl 
of Leicester. He was a violent republican, and took the old Roman 
Marcus Brutus as his pattern. Harrington wrote a book called 
"Oceana," which is a description of an imaginary republic, such as 
he thought one ought to be. 

daughters? What of liis frii^nd E1Iwo>h1? 5. What befell liim at the restoration? 
Whoii did he die? V. Wli.it of Andrew Marvell? 8. Relate the anecdote of his integ- 
rity. 9. What of other distinguished speakers and writers? 



CHARACTER OF CHARLES II. 339 



CHAPTER CLXXX. 

Character of Charles II. — How he treated the Puritans. — Death of 
Archbishop Sharp. — Great Change in the Habits of the People. — 
Samuel Butler, the A uthor of Hudibras. — More of Richard Penderill. 

1. Charles II. was thirty years old, when, after sixteen years' 
exile, he was so unexpectedly placed on the throne of his ances- 
tors. He had a good figure, and though his features were harsh, 
there was something agreeable in his countenance ; and his cheer- 
ful, easy, and graceful deportment made him altogether a very 
engaging person. He hated business, and to live idly and merrily 
was all he cared for. He had no wish to be a great or a good 
monarch, and he only valued his country because he found it an 
agreeable dwelling-place. 

2. The first measures of the king gave general satisfaction. The 
Earl of Clarendon, who had attended him during his exile, had the 
chief influence in his council, and by his integrity and wisdom the 
government was carried on for a time with justice and moderation. 
A general pardon was proclaimed to all who had taken part against 
the king during the civil wars, excepting to those who had been 
active in procuring the death of Charles I. About sixty persons 
had been concerned in that act. Of these, many were dead, and 
others had left the kingdom. 

3. Of those brought to trial, only ten were executed; of this 
number, was Hugh Peters, a preacher, who had not only been very 
active in stirring up the minds of the people against the king, but 
also, it was supposed, was one of the masked executioners who be- 
headed him. Sir Henry Vane was also executed ; Lambert was 
exiled to the island of Guernsey, where he lived thirty years, and 
from being a rigid puritan, became a Roman Catholic. 

4. Having thus satisfied their revenge at what may be deemed a 
moderate expense of human life, the government set about restoring 
the old forms of religion. The Episcopal church was re-established 
in England without difliculty, but the attempt to force it upon the 
Scots was not so successful. The king was exceedingly desirous to 
introduce it into Scotland ; perhaps the more so because he remem- 
bered the insults he had suffered from the Scotch Presbyterians, 
when he was formerly among them. 

5. He induced Sharp, a Presbyterian leader, to accept the arch- 
bishopric of St. Andrews. Sharp was a bigoted man, and behaved 
in such a manner as to exasperate the people yet more against 
Episcopacy. He was at last killed by a, zealous covenanter, called 
Balfour of Burley, who, with a small party of men, chanced to 
meet him, as he was travelling with his daughter, dragged him out 



CLXXX. — 1. What of Charles II. 's personal appearance and character? 2. What of 
his early measures ? How did lie treat the puritans? 3. Wlio were executed ? 4. What 



840 CHANGE IN THE HABITS OF THE PEOPLE. 

of his carriage, and murdered him. This act put an entire stop to 
the attempt to introduce Episcopacy in the Scotch church. 

6. In 1662, Charles married Catharine of Braganza, daughter of 
the King of Portugal. The new queen had been educated in a con- 
vent, and was very formal and grave ; she rejected the company of 
the English ladies, and would only have about her a set of old, 
solemn dueimas, as the Spanish call the stiflF, formal old women, 
whom it is the custom of that country to set over young ones, to 
keep them out of mischief The king found her and her court so 
dull, that he neglected her society, and spent most of his time with 
a set of idle, dissolute companions. 

7. The example of Charles had a most pernicious influence; few 
persons could equal him in wit, yet those of the meanest capacity 
could imitate his vices, and the coarse and vulgar jokes in whicla 
he often indulged himself The public taste was corrupted ; and 
the books written at that time, which acquired any popularity, 
were polluted with the same vicious spirit which prevailed in 
society. 

8. The people Avere all the more ready to rush into dissipation, for 
having been so long restrained from their customary amusement. 
Under the rule of the parliament, all recreation was deemed to be 
unchristian ; a cheerful countenance and a ruddy complexion were 
considered as the marks of a malignant. Some of the sports which 
were suppressed exhibit the rude manners of the times. 

9. Thus we are told that Colonel Henson, with pious zeal, 
marched his regiment into London, and destroyed all the bears, 
which were there kept for the diversion of the citizens; bear-bait- 
ing, that is, fastening up a poor bear, and then setting dogs upon 
him, being a favorite amusement. This exploit of Colonel Henson 
is said to have given occasion to the humorous poem of Hudibras, 
which, however, was not published till 1663. 

10. It was written by Samuel Butler, who lived for some time as 
steward with Sir Samuel Luke, a famous commander under Crom- 
well. Sir Samuel is supposed to be the hero of the poem, in which 
he and his party are delineated in the most absurd and ridiculous 
colors. It did greater service to the royal cause, by exposing the 
fanaticism of the puritans, than a thousand dry treatises could have 
done ; for no one would read those, while the pleasantry and humor 
of Hudibras gave it universal circulation. 

11. The king was so delighted with it, that he learned a part of 
it by heart ; yet he suffered the author to die in want. Ingrati- 
tude was, indeed, one of the revolting traits in Charles' character. 
Thousands of his subjects had reduced themselves from afliluence to 
absolute want by their exertions in his behalf; but he took no 
notice of their petitions, and suffered them to remain in distress, 
whilst he lavished the public money upon his favorites, both male 
and female. 



(lid he do about religion ? 5. What happened in Scotland in regard to this ? 6. W'hom 
dill diaries marry? What of her character? 7. What was the character of his court? 
What change in general manners? 9. Relate Colonel Henson's exploit. To what pooui 



THE GREAT PLAGUE IN LONDON. 1666. 341 

12. There were a few exceptions to this. After his restoration, he 
sent for Richard Penderill, and calling him " Friend Richard," made 
him give the courtiers an account of all their adventures together, 
and of the escape from Boscobel. This the old man did, to the gi'eat 
entertainment of all present, telling them " how he got a sorry jade 
for the king, with a bad saddle and bridle; and how his majesty 
complained of the steed, and how his brother Humphrey said the 
king should not find fault with the poor animal, for it never before 
carried the weight of three kingdoms on its back." The king main- 
tained the old man during the remainder of his life. 



CHAPTER CLXXXI. 

Great Plague in London, followed by a great Fire. — About the Lord 
Mayor. — Oreai Lmprovemenfs in London after the Fire. — Sir Mat- 
thew Hale draws up Rules for the Settlement of Land Titles, and Sir 
Christopher Wren is employed as an Architect. 

1. In the autumn of 1665 a most violent plague broke out in 
London, and in a short time 90,000 persons are said to have died 
of it. The court and the richer classes of people retired at the be- 
ginning of it into the country, dismissing their servants, who were 
turned into the streets to perish. These poor wretches, more than 
40,000 in number, being refused admittance into any house in the 
city, wandered into the country ; but the villagers drove them back 
with pitchforks, lest they should bring the infection of the plague 
with them. 

2. The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Lawrence, then sup- 
ported them till his means were exhausted ; and a subscription was 
afterwards raised for them, to which the king contributed a thou- 
sand pounds a week. Whilst the city was yet suffering under this 
calamity, it was assailed also by another. On the 3d of September, 
1666, a fire broke out near London bridge, and after raging three 
days and three nights, and destroying 13,000 houses and eighty-four 
churches, was finally stopped by blowing up buildings in its way. 

3. Mr. Evelyn, a truly excellent country gentleman, who kept a 
daily journal, which has lately been published, has given us a very 
animated description of the terrible scene. On the evening of the 
od of September, he went to the bank-side of the river Thames at 
Southwark, and from thence he beheld the flames spreading on the 
opposite side of the river, in one sheet, all along the bank. He 
went again early the next morning to the same place, and saw the 
fire still raging furiously. It was then catching to the great church 

is it said to have given occasion? What of Butler? 11. What bad trait in Charles' cha- 
racter? 12. What exception to his general conduct? 

CLXXXI. — 1. When did the plague desolate London? What calamity followed the 

29* 



342 



ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT FIRE. — 1666. 



of St. Paul's, and soon spread itself on all sides, destroying every- 
thing in its way. 








THE FIRE IN liONDON. 

4. All the sky was of a fiery aspect, like the top of a burning 
oven. The light was seen at forty miles' distance, and not by 
night only, but by day ; and the smoke, which rose in thick, black 
clouds, was supposed to spread through the atmosphere for fifty 
miles round. The air in and about London was so hot and in- 
flamed, that it was quite stifling. The melted lead ran in a stream 
from the foot of St. Paul's and the other churches which took fire. 
The pavement of the streets glowed with so intense a heat, that 
neither man nor horse was able to tread upon it. 

5. Under St. Paul's church were some vaults, and the neighboring 
shopkeepers thought to save their goods by depositing them there 
while the fire was yet at a distance. Four days after the fire had 
ceased, some of them, anxious to know the state of their goods, 
opened one of the vaults; but no sooner were the doors opened 
than the current of air fanned the heat within, and caused the 
flames to burst out in the vault; and thus everything in it was 
burnt. The rest, taking warning, waited till rain had cooled the 
air. They then oiJened the other vaults, and found their goods 
uninjured. 

6. The people at first seemed to lose their senses in the greatness 
of the calamity. The king, however, soon regained his presence of 
mind. He, with his brother, the Duke of York, attended late and 



plague? 3. Relate the particulars of the great fire. 6. What of the king's conduct? 
7. What of London in ancient times? 8. What of modern London? What is strictly 



THE LORD MAYOR. 343 

early to encourage and reAvard the workmen, to whom he gave the 
most judicious orders for arresting the progress of the flames. On the 
6th ol'September the fire began to yield to their elforts, and on the 7th, 
Mr. Evelyn, as he tells us, was able to walk through the burnt district ; 
a scene of desolation, in which he often did not know where he was. 
The ground v.'as still so heated that the soles of his shoes were burnt. 

7. London, in ancient times, was comparatively a small place, 
and, like other towns in those days, was surrounded by high walls. 
The city was entered through large gates, which were closed in 
times of danger. This was the case in the time of King John, who 
granted the city a charter, that is, a written constitution, empowering 
it to elect its own oflicers, as the lord mayor, &c. As it was the usual 
place of residence of the king, and very conveniently situated for car- 
rying on an extensive commerce, great numbers of people came there 
to live ; many more than could be accommodated within the walls. 

8. These people built houses in the neighboring villages ; and as 
this has been going on ever since, what is generally called London 
has, in the words of a late historian, " ingulphed one city, one borough, 
and forty-three villages ;" and since he wrote, two more villages 
have been swallowed by the insatiate monster. Thus the different 
parts of London are under different governments, and lie in different 
counties. The city of London, strictly so called, is the space included 
within the old walls; though these have long since disappeared. 

9. It is governed by a lord mayor, who, on public occasions, rides 
in a great coach, Avhich is gorgeously painted and decorated ; the 
mace-bearer sits on a stool in the middle, facing one window, and 
the sword-bearer upon a stool also, facing the other. His lordship 
himself is dressed either in scarlet or jDurple robes, richly furred, 
with a broad hood, and a gold chain or collar. He lives in a mag- 
nificent house called Guildhall. The city is principally occupied by 
persons connected with trade. The nobility, for the most part, 
have their town residences in what is, in fact, an outskirt of the 
city, and which is commonly called the West End. 

10. The houses of the nobility were, in tlie time of Charles, sur- 
rounded by large gardens, so that if a fire had broken out in one of 
them, it could readily have been prevented from spreading. But in 
the city, the houses were generally built close together, usually of 
wood, and with very narrow streets. As the fire extended but little 
beyond the limits of the city, the principal sufferers were merchants 
and tradesmen, and the poor laborers dependent upon these. There 
was, therefore, great private distress. But the fire was an incal- 
culable public benefit. 

11. Before this time, the plague used to be a terrible scourge, 
but it has never been known in London since this conflagration. 
The filth was burnt out that used to harbor infection. The old 
wooden houses, with windows not made to open, could never be 
purified by fresh air. They were now succeeded by larger and more 
airy dwellings, and the streets were made wider. Though a great 

the "city"? How governed? 10. What of the houses of the nobility? Who were the 
principal sufferers by the fire? 11. Of what advantage did the fire prove? 12. What 



344 THE EARL OF CLARENDON. — 1667. 

improvement was made, yet much more might have been done, but 
for the jealousies of the land-owners, many of whom refused to sell 
their land, or to agree to any plan for general improvement. 

12. The king was very desirous that all the land should be 
thrown into common, and the city laid out regularly, according to 
a plan of a distinguished architect. Sir Christopher VVreu ; the old 
proprietors to receive payment in money, or in land equally well 
settled with their old lots. But this could not be effected, much to 
the regret of the posterity of those owners ; for a similar oppor- 
tunity, it is to be hoped, will never occur again. As may be sup- 
posed, it was a diiflcult matter to give every person exactly his own 
again, since all the old landmarks were destroyed. 

13. But Sir Matthew Hale, a wise and excellent man, and also a 
most learned judge, framed, with the assistance of other judges, a 
set of rules for adjusting the different claims. Sir Christopher 
Wren, the greatest architect that England ever produced, was em- 
ployed to rebuild the public edifices. From his designs, fifty-eight 
churches were built. Of these, St. Paul's is his greatest work. In- 
deed, it is considered to be the finest church in Europe, with the 
single exception of St. Peter's, at Rome, which many travellers assert 
to have the advantage only in size. 

14. It required one hundred years to build St. Peter's. The first 
stone of St. Paul's was laid in 1765, and the whole building was 
completed in thirty-five years, with the exception of a few decora- 
tions. It seemed as if the life of the venerable architect was 
lengthened, that he might enjoy the pleasure of seeing the accom- 
plishment of his great work. He died in the year it was finished, 
aged ninety-one, 



CHAPTER CLXXXII. 

Charles sacrifices the Earl of Clarendon to the Cabal. — The King be- 
comes a Pensioner of France. — Great Discontent in England. — 
Habeas Corpus Law. 

1. The calamities of which Charles had been a witness were not 
without some good effect on his disposition, and detached him for 
a while from the idle and dissolute habits into which he had sunk ; 
but his vicious companions soon came about him and rallied him 
out of all his good resolutions, and he relapsed into his former way 
of life. These dissolute associates, the chief of whom was the Duke 
of Buckingham, the loittij duke, as he was called, had long medi- 
tated the overthrow of Lord Clarendon, whose virtue and integrity 
made him the particular object of their dislike. 

2. Charles, forgetting how faithfully this great statesman had 
served him in all his wanderings and necessities, and how much his 

improvements were proposed? 13. Who framed the rules for adjusting land claims f 
What architect was cliiefl.v employed? 

CLXXXII.— 1. What eifect had these calamities on Charles? What of Clarendon? 



THE WAR WITH HOLLAND RENEWED. — 1672. 345 

wisdom had contributed to strengthen him on the throne, readily 
acceded to a plan which was to remove a man who was some check 
upon his vices. Clarendon was, therefore, on various frivolous pre- 
tences, found guilty of neglect of duty, and sentenced to banishment. 

3. He retired into France, and employed the remainder of his life 
chiefly in composing his excellent " History of the Rebellion," and 
also in writing an account of his own life. His youngest daughter, 
Anna Hyde, married the Duke of York, and was the mother of 
Mary and Anne, subsequently queens of England. 

4. After Clarendon's disgrace, Rupert, the Duke of Ormond, Sir 
Orlando Bridgeman, and other men of wisdom and experience, had 
for a time the chief weight in the council. But in 1670, their influ- 
ence declined, and the king, whose carelessness about public affairs 
daily increased, committed the entire management to five of the most 
unprincipled men in the kingdom, Cliflford, Ashley, Buckingham, 
Arlington, and Lauderdale, who were called the Cabal, from the first 
letters of their names. 

5. One of the last acts of Clarendon had been to make peace with 
the Dutch, with whom the country had been several years at war. 
This war was carried on principally on the sea, and in the course 
of it the English had established that superiority, of which Blake, 
in the time of Ci'omwell, had laid the foundation. The naval com- 
manders in this war were Prince Rupert and the Duke of Albemarle. 

6. In those days there was no great distinction between the land 
and sea service. A good general was thought fully competent to 
command at sea. Events proved the correctness of this opinion. 
For Blake, who is the most distinguished of Britain's naval com- 
manders, with the exception, perhaps, of Nelson, whom we shall 
soon have occasion to notice, did not go to sea till he was past fifty 
years of age, and was then transferred from the command of an 
army to that of a fleet. 

, 7. One of the first acts of the Cabal was to renew the war with 
Holland. Charles at first hesitated to adopt a measure to which the 
people of England were very much opposed ; but Ivouis XIV., King 
of France, who was himself at war with Holland, and desired the 
assistance of England, overcame his scruples. The persuasive argu- 
ments of Henrietta, who visited her brother on this business, were 
supported by some more solid and effective reasons, in the shape of 
gold, a large quantity of which was annually to be at the service of 
the king, so long as he should sacrifice the interests of his own 
country to those of France. 

8. Charles no longer hesitated ; his pleasures were very expensive, 
and money was hard to be obtained from his subjects for such vile 
uses. A secret treaty was made between the two monarchs, by which 
Charles became the pensioner of Louis. War was declared against 
Holland. The chief distinction gained by the English in this war 
was upon the sea. The Duke of York commanded the fleet, and 
under him were Prince Rupert and Lord Sandwich. 

4. Who governed after Clarendon's disgrace? What was the Cabal? 5. What of the 
British power on the ocean? Who were the naval commanders? 7. How was Charles 



346 HABEAS CORPUS. — 1679. 

9. lu 1674, the Cabal was broken up by the death of Clifford, and 
the disgrace of Ashley, now become Lord Shaftesbury. Honester 
ministers came into place ; peace was made with Holland ; but 
Charles still maintained his secret treaty with Louis, and rendered 
such services as might entitle him to his annual pay. This treaty 
with France was, as we have said, secret, and tlie receipt of money 
by him from Louis was also secret ; but his manifest predilection 
for that country excited distrust among his subjects, and he and the 
parliament were on very bad terms. 

10. This parliament, which had assembled in 1660, in all the in- 
toxication of joy, loyalty, and hope, which it was natural to feel at 
the king's restoration, was dissolved in 1678, and separated with 
feelings of severe disappointment at his utter want of conduct and 
principle. The king was supposed to be a papist at heart, and the 
Duke of York, who was heir to the throne, was an avowed papist. 
The people, who entertained as great a horror of popery as ever, 
were naturally alarmed for the safety of the Protestant church. 

11. The king must have money, and so he was compelled to sum- 
mon a new parliament to pass a law authorizing him to collect taxes. 
No sooner was it assembled, than an attempt was made in the house 
of commons to pass a law excluding the Dnkc of York from the 
throne, and settling the succession upon his daughter Mary, who 
was now married to her cousin William, Prince of Orange. This 
attempt was not successful. 

12. This parliament is memorable for passing what is called the 
Habeas Corpus law, by which enactment, it was rendered illegal to 
detain any person in prison, unless he were accused of some specific 
offence, for which he was by law subject to punishment; it also 
secured to all a prompt trial. Thus it affords a complete protection 
against arbitrary punishment. Every person who is imprisoned has 
a right to demand to be brought before some magistrate, who is 
bound to inquire into the cause of his imprisonment, and if it shall 
appear to be insufficient, is required to set him at liberty. 

13. The judge, upon the demand of the prisoner, issues an order, 
technically called a xvrH, commanding the jailer fo have the body of 
the prisoner brought before him, &c. These writs were formerly in 
Latin, and the two first words were Habeas Corpus; and hence the 
name commonly given to the law. This law has been adopted from 
England by each of the ITnited States ; and it can only be set aside 
in cases of rebellton or war. 

persuaded to renew the war with Holland? 9. When, and by what event, was the Cabal 
broken up? What of the state of feeling in England? 11. What attempt did the new 
parliament make? 12, 13. What of the Habeas Corpus act? 



ORIGIN OF THE TERMS WHIG AND TORY. — 1680. 347 



CHAPTEK CLXXXIII. 

Origin of the terms Whig and Tory. — Distracted State of the Country. 
— The Rye-house Plot. — Death of Russell and Sydney. — Death of 
Charles II. — His Habits. — Fashions of Dress. 

1. The country was now divided into two parties; those who 
wished to exclude the Duke of York from the throne, and those who 
were opposed to this measure. This was a renewal of the old strug- 
gle between the people and the court, which had resulted before in 
the death of Charles I. and the establishment of the Commonwealth. 
The two parties, which had hitherto been distinguished as the court 
party and the country party, in 1680 received designations which 
have continued to this day. 

2. The court party reproached their antagonists with being no 
better than Whigs, a name by which certain religious fanatics in 
Scotland were known. The country party found a resemblance 
between the courtiers and certain banditti in Ireland, to whom the 
appellation Tory was alHxed. These names, which were at first 
terms of reproach, were soon generally used to distinguish the two 
parties, and we shall adopt them for the future. 

3. The whigs were the strongest in numbers, and they received 
daily accessions; for the conduct of the king and his brother gave 
more and more dissatisfaction. While the country was thus tilled 
with discontent and apprehension, the king was urged by the vin- 
dictive temper of the duke to exercise severities foreign to his 
nature, and many persons were taken up and executed, on sus- 
picion of being engaged in plots against his majesty's life. One of 
these persons was Lord William Russell, a nobleman of high cha- 
racter, who was accused of being concerned in what was called the 
Rye-house plot, from the name of a house where the consj^irators 
held their meetings. 

4. The witnesses against him were of the most infamous charac- 
ter ; but Russell was condemned and executed. Algernon Sydney, 
whom we have before mentioned, was also tried and executed. 
Nothing was proved against him, but he was known to be attached 
to republican principles, and that was sufficient reason for suspect- 
ing him of a design to nuirder the king. 

5. These executions were in some degree in retaliation of the ex- 
ecution of certain papist friends of the Duke of York, who, five 
years before, in 1678, had been condemned and beheaded on the 
charge of a design to introduce popery ; the chief witness against 
them being Titus Gates, a man of infamous character. Though the 
king permitted these things to be done, he does not appear to have 
approved of them, and often opposed his brother's violent counsels. 

CLXXXIII. — 1. Into what parties was England divided ? 2. Wlience were the names 
derived? 3. To what was the king urged by his brother? What of Lord William 
Russell ? 4. What of Sydney ? 5. For what were these executiona a retaliation ? 



348 DEATH OF CHARLES II. — 1685. 

6. One clay he said to him, "Brother, I am too old to go again 
on my travels ; you may, if you choose it," — meaning that the 
measures which the duke wished him to pursue would provoke the 
people to open rebellion. Charles, though he was so careless and 
idle, had good sense ; he plainly perceived the discontents that 
were rising, and we are assured that he had determined to take the 
best way of appeasing them, by dismissing his bad advisers. 

7. But he had no opportunity of trying the experiment ; for in the 
midst of a life of vicious indulgence, he was attacked by apoplexy, 
and died, after a few days' illness, February 6tli, 1085, in the lifty- 
tifth year of his age, and twenty-fifth of his reign. He married 
Catharine of Braganza, by whom he had no children. The charac- 
ter of Charles was very well portrayed in a lively epigram, which 
was made on him while yet alive by one of the wits of his court: 

8. " Here lies our sovereign lord, the king, 
Whose word no man relies on ; 
Who never said a foolish thing. 
And never did a wi.se one." 

This was shown to Charles, and he said, in his pleasant way, that 
it was very true; for his words were his own, but his actions were 
his ministers'. 

9. His agreeable manners made him a greater favorite with the 
people than he deserved to be. He would sit for hours on the 
benches in St. James' Park, amusing himself with some tame ducks 
and his dogs, amidst a crowd of people, with whom he would talk 
and joke. These dogs were a particular breed of spaniels, of which 
Charles was most troublesomely fond. 

10. He had so many in his bedroom and other apartments, that 
Mr. Evelyn says the whole palace was made offensive and disagree- 
able by them. This particular breed were called King Charles' 
dogs, and have been very much in request. It is believed that 
none of the true breed are now left, except some beautiful black 
and tan spaniels, which belonged to the Duke of Norfolk, and 
which used to riot over Arundel Castle, one of his residences, much 
in the same way in which their ancestors racketed about the palace 
at Whitehall. 

11. The Restoration brought as great a revolution in dress as in 
government or manners. The precise, plain attire of the puritans 
gave place to ribands, and feathers, and shoulder-knots. Shoe- 
buckles became the rage, but those who affected plainness in their 
dress continued to wear strings. To avoid as much as possible the 
imputation of being a round-head, the loyal subjects wore long 
flowing wigs of curled and frizzled false hair. Men of tender con- 
sciences were greatly scandalized at this fashion, considering it 
more indecent than long hair, because it was unnatural. 

12. Many preachers held forth against it in their sermons, and cut 
their own hair shorter to express their abhorrence of it. It was ob- 
served that a periwig gave an ap23earance of dignity, and procured for 

What weie the king's feelings? How did he express them? 7. When did Charles die? 
In what year of his age ? Of Ills reign ? 8. What epigram was made on him ? 9. What 



POETS AND PHILOSOPHERS OF THE TIME OF CHARLES II, 349 

the wearers a respect to which they were strangers before. The 
judges and physicians, who thoroughly understood the magic power 
of a wig, gave it all the advantage of length as well as size, for they 
enveloped the upper parts of the body in a huge mass of hair three 
feet in length. 

13. Wigs, however, established themselves in the public favor, and 
maintained their place till the middle of the last century. Young 
boys even were emulous of wearing them. A hair-dresser, in her 
advertisement — for the artists were sometimes females — boasts that 
she could cut and curl boys' hair in so fine a way, that it should be 
impossible to distinguish it from a wig. 

14. The ladies' heads, too, were frizzled and curled with the nicest 
art, and they frequently set them off with heart-breakers. Sometimes a 
string of pearls or an ornament of ribbon was worn on the head ; and, 
in the latter part of this reign, hoods of various kinds were in fashion. 
We cannot answer for the prevalence of blue stockings, but we are 
told that one of the court beauties sometimes sported green. 



CHAPTEE CLXXXIV. 

Of the Poets and Philosophers who lived in the time of Charles II. — 
Many new Manxifactures introduced into England. 

1. As may be readily supposed, the gay court of Charles was not 
without its poets. But their verses, for the most part, were grossly 
infected by the prevailing licentiousness. Waller, however, who has 
been styled the parent of English verse, was a man of respectable 
character. He was a friend of Cromwell, and some of his best 
verses are a panegyric upon the protector. Cowley was more 
praised and admired during his lifetime than the great Milton; yet 
his verses are as harsh as Waller's are smooth. 

2. But of all the poets who flourished during this period, John 
Dryden, "glorious John," as he was called, is, next to Milton, the 
most esteemed at the present time. He was born in 1631, and did 
not die till 1701. He was somewhat of a time-server, for in 1658 
we find him writing verses extolling the protector, and in 1660 he 
hails the return of Charles II. in a poem called " Astrea Redux." 
That monarch showed his sense of his merit, by appointing him, in 
1668, to be the poet-laureate. 

3. To please James II., Dryden became a Catholic; but in this 
he overreached himself; for when he was driven from the throne, 
as we .shall presently see, Dryden lost his office; he vented his 

ofhis habits? 10. What of his dogs? 11. What change in dress? What of the new style 
of head-dress ? 14. What of ladies' head-dress ? 

CLXXXIV. — 1. What poets are mentioned of Charles II.'s time? What of Waller? 

.30 



350 POETS AND PHILOSOPHERS OF THE TIME OF CHARLES II. 

spleen against liis successor in a satirical poem called " Mac- 
Flecknoe." In his old age he wrote the Ode to St. Cecilia, which 
of all his works displays the most imagination, and a translation of 
the Latin poet Virgil's works into English verse, which Pope 
declared to be the most noble and spirited translation in any 
language. 

4. We have said so much about the corruption of the times, that 
it might almost seem there were no good men left in the kingdom. 
Yet there were many such, even of those whose rank brought them 
in contact with the court. There was the Duke of Ormond, and 
his only son, Lord Ossory, who was the most popular man in the 
kingdom, as he was also one of the most virtuous. He died early, 
to the great grief of his father and of the whole nation. 

5. The bereaved old duke used to say, " He would not change 
his dead son for any living son in Christendom." So precious to 
him was the remembrance of his virtues I There was, likewise, a 
little knot of wise men who contrived to enjoy in peace and quiet- 
ness the tranquil satisfactions of science and philosophy. Bishop 
Wilkins, Mr. Evelyn, and Sir Christopher Wren — two of whom 
have before been mentioned — Mr. Boyle, and a few others, were of 
this set. 

6. Bishop Wilkins was a man of great talent and merit. He was 
the brother-in-law of Oliver Cromwell, and by his influence with 
the protector, contrived to save the University of Oxford, where he 
was head of one of the colleges, from pillage. Mr. Evelyn was a 
man of taste and literature, and was a patron of many artists, whose 
merits might not have been known but for him. He first brought 
Gibbons, a celebrated carver in wood, into notice. 

7. Wood-carving naturally suggests to our minds the grotesque 
figures which once ornamented the walls of country churches, and 
the figure-heads of ships. Without seeing them, one can form no 
idea of the exquisite beauty of the wreaths of floAvers with which 
Gibbons ornamented the walls of various edifices, and those of 
some rooms in Windsor Castle. Mr. Evelyn was a great planter of 
trees, and layer-out of grounds. He wrote a book on trees, called 
the Sylva, which even those who have no land to plant may read 
with pleasure. 

8. He turned the attention of gentlemen owning land to this sub- 
ject, and many millions of trees were consequently i:>lanted ; so that 
he was a great benefactor to the present generation. Eobert Boyle 
was distinguished for his ability and goodness, and devoted his life 
to science and religion. He was one of the founders of the Royal 
Sociefy, the most distinguished and useful scientific association in 
the world. 

9. None but men of the highest attainments are admitted to this 
society ; so that, to be a member of it, is a proof of great merit. 
Charles was himself a lover of the sciences, particularly of chemistry 
and mechanics; but he encouraged them more by precept than by 

Of Cowley? OfDryden? 4. What of the Diikp of Ormond? What of his son ? 5. What 
philosophers are mentioned ? 6. What of Wilkins ? Of Evelyn? 7. What of wood-carv- 
ing? To what did Mr. Kvelyn particularly attend? 8. What of Boyle? What of the 



JAMES II. — 1685. 351 

example ; for his erring courtiers left little money to be expended in 
the encouragement of science. 

10. Still the useful arts made great progress in his reign. The art 
of dyeing woollen cloth was introduced into England from France, 
and the art of making glass from Venice. Manufactures in iron, 
brass, silk, hats, paper, &c. were established. The emjiire of Great 
Britain in America was increased by the conquest of New York from 
the Dutch, and by the settlement of South Carolina and Pennsylvania. 



CHAPTER CLXXXV. 

James II. and his Wife, Maria d' E^te. — General Dalziel and his long 
Beard. — About Beards in general. 

1. The Duke of York was in the fifty-third year of his age when 
he succeeded his brother on the throne of England, and took the 
title of James II. The Duke of Buckingham used to say that the 
difference between James and his brother was, that Charles could 
see things, if he would ; James would see things, if he could ; mean- 
ing, that Charles possessed a natural quickness, which enabled him 
to comprehend with facility everything that he desired to learn ; but 
that James, though not so clever, was more persevering and willing 
to study. 

2. As he was very young when the civil war broke out, it is prob- 
able he received no regular education. He was about thirteen when 
he saw his father for the last time. They were both prisoners in the 
hands of the parliament. At this interview the king told him that 
as he was old enough to be trusted with a secret, he would tell him 
one. This was, that Colonel Banfield was to contrive means of con- 
veying him abroad, and that he must do all that the colonel should 
desire, and be very discreet. 

3. At last, Banfield found means to let James, who was confined 
in St. James' palace, know that all was ready, and that he would 
wait for him at one of the doors of the park. James was allowed to 
play with his sister Elizabeth in a room which opened on a back 
stairs that led to a door into the garden. That evening they had 
been left alone, and James took the opportunity of running down 
into the garden. 

4. From thence, without either hat or cloak, he contrived to get 
unperceived to the door where Banfield was waiting. James was 
hurried to a house not far off, where a woman's dress had been pro- 
vided for him. Thus disguised, he succeeded in getting on board a 
vessel which was about to sail for Holland ; this country he reached 

Roj'al Society ? 9. What of Charles' love of science? 10. What new manufactures were 
introduced ? 
CLXXXV.— 1. What of James II. ? 2. Relate the particulars of his escape from Eng- 



352 ABOUT BEARDS IN GENERAL. 

in safety, and was placed for a short time under the care of his 
sister, tlie Princess of Orange. 

5. From tliat time to tlie restoration he passed many uncomfort- 
able years, sometimes at Paris with his mother, who treated him 
with great rigor, and sometimes at Bruges, or Brussels, in his brother 
Charles' court — if that could be called a court which had nothing 
but high-sounding titles to distinguish it. The lords of the bed- 
chamber had scarcely a bed to lie on, and masters of horse were 
obliged to go on foot. 

6. The good humor and easiness of Charles, who could never find 
a vexation in anything that he could turn into a joke, did something, 
indeed, to cheer and enliven the circle which surrounded him. At 
the restoration, James was made commander of the English navy ; 
which post suited him, as he had great courage, and was of an 
active, enterprising spirit. He either invented sea-signals or greatly 
imi>roved them, and made many beneficial alterations in the man- 
agement of naval affairs. 

7. After the death of his first wife, he married Maria Beatrice, of 
Este, daughter of the Duke of Modena. This proved an unfortunate 
marriage ; for she was an ill-judging woman, and meddled indis- 
creetly in affairs of state. She was a very beautiful, but a very 
proud woman. Of the latter we may give an instance. At the 
time she was Duchess of York, the duke invited old General Dalziel 
to dine with him ; but she refused to sit at the table with him, be- 
cause he was a subject ! 

8. She at last consented to sit down to the table, upon her hus- 
band's remonstrating, and telling her that, but for the good services 
of such men, he might still have been a miserable exile. This Gen- 
eral Dalziel had been a faithful servant to Charles I., and on the 
day his master was executed, he made a vow never to shave his 
beard again, but to let it grow, in token of his mourning. He lived 
to be very old, and his beard grew to be of an enormous length, and 
reached down to his girdle, while his head was entirely bald. After 
the restoration, he used to come up every year from Scotland to pay 
his respects to the king. 

9. His grotesque appearance caused much amusement to the 
courtiers, but Charles always received him with real kindness, and 
made him very welcome. It might be thought that everybody wore 
beards in old times, as the Turks do now ; but the mode of dressing 
the chin in England varied as much as the fashion of clothes. The 
Normans shaved their chins close; and William the Conqueror 
almost drove the Anglo-Saxons to desperation by requiring them to 
do the same. 

10. In the time of the Tudors the beard appears to have been per- 
mitted to grow long ; for Henry VIII. is always painted with a beard ; 
and in some of Holbein's pictures there are very long ones. In 
Elizabeth's reign, Lord Burleigh, Lord Essex, and many others, are 

laud at the commencement of the civil war. 5. How did he pass his time while out of 
England? What of Charles II. 's court while abroad? 7. What of his second wife? 
What of General Dalziel? 9. What of beards? 



JAMES II. SEEKS TO RESTORE POPERY, 1687. 



353 



represented with huge beards spread out, and cut square at the bot- 
tom ; but in the time of Charles I., the beard was reduced to a little 
pointed lock on the chin, which was thought to give rather a fine 
expression to the countenance, except when qualified, as it gener- 
ally was, by two fierce mustachios on the upper lip. 



CHAPTER CLXXXVI. 

James II. seeks to restore Popery. — Oreat Cruelties practised by Jeffries 
and Kirk in consequetice of Monmouth'' s Rebellion. — Rash Conduct 
of James. — The Prince of Orange invades England. — James flies to 
France. 




BISHOPS SENT TO THK TOWER BY JAMES II. 

1. James, as soon as he came to the throne, declared his inten- 
tion of maintaining the existing laws, both in church and state ; 
and, as he had always been found sincere, this declaration served 
greatly to tranquillize the minds of the people. Yet, notwithstand- 
ing this, he soon after sent a Catholic priest to Rome to negotiate a 
reunion with that church. The pope, Innocent XL, had more 
prudence than James, and advised him to attempt nothing rashly. 

2. The king's security was much increased by the suppression of a 
rebellion which had broken out, headed by the Duke of Monmouth. 



CLXXXVI.— 1. What was James' declaration to his subjects? How did his acts con- 
30 « 



854 THE PRINCE OF OKANGE INVADES ENGLAND. — 1688. 

The punishment of the rebels was very severe ; and the cruelties 
perpetrated by Judge Jeffries and Colonel Kirk, have left indelible 
stains on their memories, and on the memory of James II. Having 
by this means, as he supposed, suppressed the discontents of his sub- 
jects, the king thought the wdj clear for the restoration of popery. 

3. Being led on by the rash counsels of his confessor, and the 
vehemence of the queen, he removed many Protestants from their 
oiBces, both in church and state, and filled their places with Catho- 
lics. In one instance he sent six bishops to the Tower, for a mild 
remonstrance against his measures. So severe was he, that his 
friends, the Catholics, thought his conduct dangerous and ill judged. 
At last the pope sent a nuncio, as his ambassador is called, to Eng- 
land, warning the king of the imprudence of his conduct. 

4. There was one great drawback on the king's zeal for the restora- 
tion of popery. He had no son, and the Princess of Orange, who 
would succeed him, w;is a Protestant; indeed, her husband was 
looked up to as the great support of the reformed religion in Europe. 
All that James might do would, therefore, be undone immediately 
after his death. His hopes, therefore, rested upon having a son ; 
and when, on the 10th of June, 1688, the desired event happened, 
he thought that everything would result according to his wishes. 

5. This very event, however, hastened his own exjjulsion from the 
throne ; for the people, who had been cheered by the hope of a Prot- 
estant sovereign after James' death, now seeing themselves cut off 
from any further indulgence of this expectation, became anxious 
for the king's dethronement; and many persons of rank entered 
into secret negotiations with the Prince of Orange. Meanwhile, 
James' conduct seemed nothing but a course of blind infatuation. 

6. At last, his ambassador in Holland sent to warn him that he 
might expect an invasion from that country. The letter fell from 
his hand, and it was some time before he recovered the power of 
thinking and acting. When at last he roused himself from this 
state of consternation, the only means that occurred to him of avert- 
ing the impending storm was to retract some of his late obnoxious 
measures. But these concessions gained him no credit, and were 
attributed only to fear. 

7. At this juncture a declaration from the Prince of Orange, that 
he was coming to England to redress their grievances, was received 
with joy by the people throughout the kingdom. William landed 
at Torbay, November 5th, 1688. The whole country was soon in 
commotion. The people combined almost universally against their 
misjudging and ill-advised king. The nobility, one after another, 
joined the invader. Even those upon whom James thought he 
could most surely rely deserted him; Prince George, of Denmark, 
who had married his daughter Anne, among the rest. 

8. This princess herself left London. When the news of her de- 
parture was brought to the poor monarch, he burst into tears. " God 

form toil? 2. Whiit of Monmouth's rebellion? What of Jeffries and Kirk? 3. Who 
were James' advisers ? 4. What drawbaclv to James' zeal ? Was this removed? 5. What 
wore the consequences ? 6. What priest warned James of his danger? How did he seek 



JAMES ESCAPES TO FRANCE. — 1688. 



355 



help nie," he exclaimed, " my own children have forsaken me." In 
the extremity of perplexity and dismay, he assembled the few noble- 
men who had not yet deserted hira. Addressing the Earl of Bed- 
ford, father of Lord William Russell, who, it will be recollected, 
was executed by James' intrigues in the preceding reign, "My lord," 
said he, " you are an honest man, have great credit, and can do me 
signal service." 




LANDING OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE. 

9. "Ah, sir," replied the earl, " I am old and feeble ; I can do but 
little service ; but I once had a son that could have assisted you, but 
he is no more." The king was now left to the influence of the priests 
and the queen, who were continually urging him to flight, holding 
up the fate of Charles I. as a warning. Yielding to their fears and 
clamors, he forbore to make one effort to preserve his throne. Send- 
ing his wife and infant son secretly away, he himself left Loudon 
on the 12th of December, attended only by Sir Edward Hales. 

10. His intention was to get on board a ship at Sheerness, and to 
escape into France. But he was stopped at Feversham, and led 
back to London, much to the dissatisfaction of the Prince of Orange, 
who had promised his wife that her father should receive no per- 
sonal injury. William therefore secretly assisted James in a second 
attempt to escape. On the 25th of December he landed in France, 
and proceeded to St. Germain, near Paris, where he was received by 
Louis XIV. with great generosity and commiseration. He had 
reigned three years. 



to avert it? With what effect ? 7. Wlien did William land in England? How was ho 
r received? 9. Relate the remainder of James' story. 



366 REVOLUTION OF lfi88. 

FAMILY OF JAMES II. 



1. Anne Hyde, d.aughter of the Earl of Clarendon. 

2. Maria U'Este, daughter of the Duke of Modena. 

CHILDREN. 

Mary, married to the Prince of Oranze, ] m -u c a tt j 

,•" -j.T)- n e r\ ir Children of Anne Hyde. 

Anne, married to Prince George, of Denmark, j •' 

James Francis Edward, called the Pretender, 

Maria Louisa, who was to have been a nun, ^ Children of Maria D'Este. 

but death prevented, 



CHAPTER CLXXXVII. 

The Revolution of 1688. — William and Mary called to the Throne. — 
William makes himself very disagreeable to the People. 

1. The country was now virtually without any government. 
Parliament was assembled as speedily as possible. After a long 
contest between the whigs and tories, it was finally decreed that the 
throne was vacant by the abdication of James II. They proceeded 
to fill it, by making the Prince and Princess of Orange joint sover- 
eigns, and they took the title of William and Mary. They received 
the crown upon certain terms set forth in what is called the " Bill 
of Rights." 

2. By this " Bill," the powers of the sovereign and the rights of 
the people were defined ; thus settling the questions which had so 
long vexed the nation. In case these sovereigns died without leav- 
ing children, the Princess Anne was to succeed ; and in 1701, when 
it had become probable that this princess would die, leaving no 
family, a further law was passed, settling the crown on Sophia, 
wife of the Elector of Hanover, and her descendants, being Pro- 
testants. 

3. Sophia was the grand-daughter of James I., being the daughter 
of the Queen of Bohemia, as she was called, from an imaginary 
dignity assumed by her husband. Thus resolute were the parliament 
in excluding the Prince of Wales ; whom many, without any reason, 
declared not to be the son of James and Maria D'Este, but an 
infant acknowledged by them for the purjjose of depriving Mary of 
her right to the succession. 

4. The abdication of James II. and the election of William and 
Mary, are called The Revolution of 1688. William III. was in his 
thirty-ninth year when called to the throne. He was of middle height, 
and very thin. It is said that he was so feeble, that he was commonly 

CLXXXVII.— 1. Wliat did parliament do after James II. left England? 2. What is tlie 
Bill of Eights? Upon whom was the crown settled if William aud Mary left no children? 
4. What was the change in sovereigns called? What of William III.? 6. What of Mary? 



WILLIAM AND MARY CALLED TO THE THRONE. 1688. 357 

obliged to be lifted on horseback ; but that, when once mounted, 
he managed his horse with admirable skill, and seemed as if he im- 
bibed the strength and spirit of the animal he rode. He had an 
aquiline nose, a high forehead, fine eyes, and a very grave aspect. 

5. His countenance was an index to his mind ; for he was gravity 
itself; cold and inflexible; reserved, but not artful. Nothing en- 
livened him but the animation of a battle. He then seemed to put 
on a different nature, and was full of spirit and alacrity. His 
chief favorites were two Dutchmen, Bentinck, whom he created 
Duke of Portland, and De Ginkel, whom he made Earl of Athlone. 
They were able men, and much respected, and faithful servants to 
the king, who was as grave and reserved with them as Avith every- 
body else. 

6. Mary had a fine person, with an engaging countenance, accom- 
panied by an air of great dignity. She had a good understanding, 
Avhich she had cultivated by reading. She took great delight in the 
conversation of learned and pious men, especially of John Tillot- 
son, Archbishop of Canterbury, a truly good man, who died in 
1694. Mary was also fond of needle-work, and introduced the 
fashion, which was so prevalent a hundred years ago, of working 
tent-stitch, and cross-stitch for carpets and chair-cushions. 

7. The example of the queen would seem to have had great influ- 
ence over female manners; for, before her time, the ladies of Eng- 
land were remarkable for being never employed. William had not 
been long King of England before he and his new subjects became 
mutually discontented with each other. He had been bred in camps, 
and was accustomed to the implicit obedience which is always paid 
to a general. He found the management of a free people so trouble- 
some, that at one time he was very near resigning the crown in 
disgust. 

8. The English, on their side, were out of humor with a monarch 
who, instead of living among them in a social way, as former sover- 
eigns were wont to do, spent most of his time either alone in his 
closet, or at a camp he had formed near Hounslow ; and when he 
did show himself in his court, appeared sullen and out of humor. 
Another ground of complaint, was his partiality for his native 
country, to avenge whose quarrels he was willing to involve Eng- 
land in a war with France. 

What fashion did she introduce? 7. What of the feeling of William towards the people ? 
8. What was the feeling of the people ? 



358 THE MASSACRE OF GLENCOE. — 1690. 



CHAPTER CLXXXVIII. 

The Highlanders refttse io acknowledge William and Mary. — The 
Massacre of Olencoe. — French Troops invade Ireland. — Battle of the 
Boijne. — Death of James II. 

1. The neighboring countries of Scotland and Ireland did not 
submit so quietly as England to the rule of the new sovereigns. 
The parliament of Scotland had, indeed, declared their throne t(; 
be vacant, and offered it to William and Mary. But a consider- 
able portion of those Scots who inhabit the mountainous parts of 
Scotland, and are hence called Highlanders, refused to abandon 
their old sovereign. These people were at that time not much 
more civilized than our Indians. 

2. Their chief delight was in war and in hunting. They were 
very strict in keeping up relationships; and all persons who were 
descended on the father's side from the same ancestors were consid- 
ered as belonging to one family or clan. The head of the family 
was the chief of the clan. The attachment which the rest bore to 
the chief was of the most ardent kind, and they were always ready 
to follow wherever he chose to lead them. 

3. Lord Dundee and other chiefs, taking the part of James, sum- 
moned their clansmen to follow them. They met and defeated a 
large body of William's troops at Killicrankie. Dundee himself 
was, however, killed, and his death so broke the spirit of the High- 
landers, that the different clans in a short time submitted to the 
authority of William. A general pardon was offered to all who 
should take the oath of allegiance — that is, should swear to obey 
William — on or before a particular day. 

4. Macdonald, of Glencoe, a Highland chief, had put off taking 
the oath till the last day, and then, unfortunately mistaking the place 
where it was to be received, went to Fort William instead of Inverary. 
When he found his error he set off in all haste for Inverary ; but the 
roads being bad and the snow deep on the ground, he did not arrive 
there till after the stated day. In consideration, however, of the 
circumstances, he and his clan were allowed to take the oath, and 
returned home feeling secure of pardon and protection. 

5. The Earl of Breadalbane, chief of one branch of the Campbells, 
had a private pique against Macdonald, and had savagely sworn to 
effect his destruction. Under color of his having refused to take at 
the proper time the required oath, he represented him to the king 
as an obstinate rebel. The Earl of Stair, the secretary of state for 
Scotland, seems to have joined also in the horrible plot. In conse- 
quence of their representations, William granted a warrant for the 
destruction, not only of Macdonald, but of his whole clan. 

6. A party of the Campbells were sent to Glencoe. They were 

CLXXXVIII. — 1. Did Scotliiiid and Ireland submit to the now sovereigns? What of 
the Highlanders? 3. What of tlieir success in James' canse? 4,5,6. Relate the par- 



INVASION OF IRELAND. 1690. 359 

received by the Macdonalds as friends, and stayed with them nearly 
a fortnight. At length, supposing that the passes of the mountains 
were stopped by troops, they fell like butchers on the unwarned and 
unsuspecting Macdonalds. Nearly forty persons were massacred. 
The rest made their escape, the severity of the weather having pre- 
vented the troops from actually closing the passes. 

7. Many of those who had thus escaped for the present, perished 
afterwards by famine, by exposure to the weather, or died of grief. 
This shocking outrage caused a general detestation of William's 
government, and was the beginning of a long series of troubles in 
Scotland. The king tried to excuse himself by saying that he signed 
the fatal warrant in the hurry of business, without being aware of 
its full import. 

8. Louis XIV. of France had a great passion for military glory, 
and for conquering other countries ; but of late years his projects had 
been defeated, chiefly by the sagacity and courage of William while 
yet Prince of Orange. Louis was very ready, therefore, to assist 
James in humbling this rival, and furnished him with a body of 
troops, with which he landed in Ireland, where the people, who were 
for the most part Papists, received him with gladness. 

9. Londonderry, which was occupied by Protestants, held out for 
William. James laid siege to it ; but the people, after being reduced 
to the utmost extremity for want of food, were finally relieved. Al 
length William came over to Ireland, at the head of a large army. 
The hostile forces, commanded by the rivals for the crown in person, 
came in sight of each other on opposite sides of the river Boyne, on 
the 29th of June, 1690. William had a narrow escape; for, whilst 
taking a survey of the enemy, a cannon-ball killed two persons 
standing near, and slightly wounded him also. 

10. The decisive battle was fought the next day. William, who 
led his troops in person to the attack, remained master of the field. 
James watched the progress of the battle from a neighboring hill. 
He was frequently heard to exclaim, " Oh ! spare my English sub- 
jects !" for, though fighting against him, he could not bear to see 
them slain. When he saw his troops give way, he turned his horse's 
head towards Dublin, and fled without making one eff'ort to retrieve 
the fortune of the day. 

11. He had now lost all the resolution and activity which had 
distinguished him in the former part of his life ; his mind seemed to 
be entirely subdued. When he arrived at Dublin he assembled the 
magistrates and announced to them his intention of abandoning the 
country. In a few days he sailed for France, and there passed the 
rest of his life, practising the austerities of a monk. He died in 
1701. After the battle of the Boyne, the Jacobites, as the partisans 
of James were called, made no very serious attempt to overthrow 
the power of William. 

ticularsof till- massacre of Glencoo. 7. What of the king's part in the outrage? 8. What 
of Umis XIV.? 9. Wlien was the battle of the Boyne fought? Between whom? 10. 
What of Jaine.-i' conduct during tlie liattle? 11. What were his partisans called? 



360 DEATH OF MARY. — le'.M. OF WILLIAM. — 1702. 



CHAPTER CLXXXIX. 

Peace of Ryswick. — Death of Mary; of WiUiam. — Peter the Great's 
Visit to England. — Evelyn's Garden at Sayes Court. 

1. As the three kingdoms were now reduced to submission, Wil- 
liam was at liberty to attend personally to the conduct of the war 
on the continent of Europe. Leaving England in January, 1691, he 
landed in Holland, narrowly escaping death by drowning ; for, in his 
impatience, he had attempted to land from his ship when she was 
at a distance from the shore, in an open boat ; but the wind rising, 
he was tossed about for eighteen hours. He spent nearly the whole 
of the next three years on the continent. 

2. During his absence Queen Mary governed the kingdom with 
great firmness and judgment, and at the same time with great mild- 
ness. She endeared herself much to the people, who sincerely 
lamented her death, which was occasioned by the small-pox, Decem- 
ber 28th, 1694. William was in England at the time, and suffered 
as much from the event as his cold temper would permit. He re- 
turned to the continent, and continued the war against France till 
1697, when the peace of Ryswick, as it is called, because concluded 
at that place, restored tranquillity to Europe. 

3. This endured, however, but a short time, and William was 
making active preparations for a renewal of hostilities against France, 
when an accident put an end to his life. On the 21st of February, 
1702, as he Avas riding from Hampton Court to Kensington, his horse 
fell with him, and he was thrown with so much violence that he broke 
his collar-bone. His attendants conveyed him back to Hampton 
Court, where the bone was set ; but the same evening he went to 
Kensington in a coach, and the jolting of the carriage again dislo- 
cated the bone. 

4. Recovering partially from the effects of the accident, he again 
relapsed, and died on the Stli of JNIarch, 1702, in the fifty-second year 
of his age, and fourteenth of his reign. After his death, a ring, con- 
taining some of the late queen's hair, was found fastened by a black 
ribbon to his arm. William appears to have had a regard for one 
portion of his subjects at least, for he appropriated his palace at 
Greenwich as a hospital for sick and disabled seamen. The poor, 
worn-out soldier was already provided for in the hospital at Chelsea, 
founded by Charles II. 

5. During the cessation of hostilities which we have mentioned, 
England received a visit from a very remarkable personage. The 
people of Russia at this period were quite barbarians ; they knew few 
of the arts, and none of the refinements of life. Their sovereign, or 

CLXXXIX. — 1. What of William after peace was restored in his kinsdom ? 2. When 
dill Mary die? Wlien was peace restored? What is it called? 3. What caused Wil- 
liam's death? When? 4. In what year of his life? Of his reign? To what purpose 
was Greenwich palace appropriated ? What of Chelsea hospital f 5. What of Peter I. of 



PETER THE GREAT VISITS ENGLAND. — 1698. 361 

czar, as he is called, Peter I., was of an active mind and great 
capacity, and he was filled with the highest ambition of a great 
monarch, that of improving the condition of those whom he is ap- 
pointed to gorcrn. His first attempt was to promote the discipline 
of his troops. 

6. He enlisted as a common soldier in one of his own regiments ; 
he procured German ofiicers, and set the example of learning the 
exercise. He next attended to the formation of a navy. He spent 
many months at Archangel, living for the most part on board the 
Dutch and English ships which happened to be there. But a full 
knowledge of ship-building could not thus be acquired; so, laying 
aside his rank and title, he went in the train of his own ambassador 
to Holland, passing by the name of Peter Michaelef. 

7. Here he worked for some time as a common ship-carpenter. 
The shed under which he worked, and a boat of his building, are 
still preserved at Saardam. From Holland he passed over to Eng- 
land, still using his assumed name, that he might avoid all the 
tedious ceremonies he must have submitted to, had he appeared as 
a royal personage. Still it was very well known who Peter 
Michaelef was, and care was taken by William that he should 
have every attention consistent with his wishes. 

8. Peter established himself at Deptford, a great naval station. 
Our old friend, Mr. Evelyn, had a house at Deptford, called Sayes 
Court. Having great skill in gardening, he had spared no expense 
in adorning the grounds about it, and it was considered a pattern 
of elegance. The grounds were laid out in a style which would not 
suit the taste of the present day. It was called the Dutch style, in 
compliment to William, but was, in fiict, the French style, being in 
imitation of Louis XIV.'s gardens at Versailles. 

9. It was very formal and artificial, the garden being principally 
laid out in flower-borders, which were disposed in regular shapes 
and patterns. The more fantastical the shapes of the flower-beds, 
and the more complicated the walks, the more they were admired, 
provided the opposite sides of the garden corresponded with one 
another. There were walks between clipped hedges, cascades, 
fountains, statues, yew-trees cut into all kinds of shapes, arbors, 
and terraces. 

10. With all the variety, there was a regularity and formality 
which the poet Pope well describes, when he says, — 

" Grove nods at grove; each alley has its brother, 
And half the platform just reflects the other." 

Unluckily for Mr. Evelyn, William desired him to accommodate 
Peter with his house. The czar, whose mind could embrace great 
objects, had no taste for neatness ; and the house and grounds were 
soon reduced to a lamentable state of disorder by the liard-working 
czar, who made no ceremony of destroying the shrubs and tram- 
pling down the flowers. 

Russia's character? 6,7. Relate such particulars of his life as are given. 8. What ia 
said cf Mr. Evelyn's garden? What style is this called? Of what is it an imitation ? 
9. What of the style? 10, 11. What of Peter's amusements at Sayes Court? 



362 ENGLISH SOCIETY DURING THE CIVIL WARS. 

11. One of his diversions was to be wheeled in a wheelbarrow 
through the neat-clipped hedges that had been raised with so much 
care and cost. The czar stayed three months at Deptford ; and he 
and his people, who, as Mr. Evelyn's old servant said to his master, 
were " right nasty," left the place in a deplorable condition. The 
king paid for the actual damage they did, but could not restore the 
beauty of the gardens. 



CHAPTER CXC. 

Changes in Style of Living and Manners during the Civil Wars. — 
About the Arms and Dress of the Soldiers. — The Healing Art. 

1. In old times, as the reader will remember, the nobles lived in 
their castles like petty sovereigns, and maintained a splendid hos- 
pitality ; and when they came to London they kept open house, 
and friends and retainers were sumptuously entertained. But the 
civil wars had made a great change in this respect. Many of the 
old nobles had lost all their property, and of those who had any, the 
larger part had acquired other tastes during their exile. 

2. A writer of the time of Charles II. tells us that " the English 
are generally great /esA-eaters, although, by the nearness of the sea, 
and abundance of "rivers, there is no lack of fish. In former times 
their table was covered four times a day; they had breakfasts of 
meat, dinners of meat, beverages of meat, and suppers; but in the 
late troubles, many eminent flimilies being impoverished, a custom 
was taken up by many of the nobility and gentry, of eating a plen- 
tiful dinner, but little or no supper." 

3. Charles I. was the last sovereign of England who lived in that 
style of magnificence and abundant plenty, which used to excite 
amazement in the foreigners who visited the country. There were 
daily in his palace at Whitehall eighty -six tables, well furnished at 
each meal, as we may suppose, when we learu that there were 
more than five hundred dishes at each meal, with bread, wine, 
beer, and all other necessaries, liberally served. In this hospitality 
he followed the example of his father, who hoped thereby to endear 
the English to his royal house, as they had ever been fond of good 
cheer. 

4. We are reminded of another change which took place about 
the close of the civil war. Before this time the officers generally 
wore defensive armor, and the soldiers leathern coats, ov buff jer- 
kins, as they were called. But now this armor went entirely out 
of use, and in William's reign, the armor-makers presented a peti- 
tion to the house of commons, praying them to compel the use of 
it, for that otherwise their trade would be ruined. Their trade was 

CXC— 1. Wliat change in the style of living among the nobles? What occasioned 
it? 3. What of Charles I.'s hospitality? 4. What of the use of armor? 5. What of 



ARMS AND DRESS OF THE SOLDIERS. 363 

indeed ruined, for it would have been absurd to load the body with 
a weight of iron, which the use of fire-arms rendered no longer a 
protection. 

5. Fire-arms were not adopted in the English army till long after 
they were invented ; and, indeed, when we learn what strange, clumsy 
things the first guns (or arquebusses) were, we are not surprised that 
the English bowmen, who excelled all others, should be averse to 
using them. These old guns were so heavy, that it was necessary 
to rest them on a forked stick before they could be levelled ; and 
when the gun was propped on its staff, or rest, a lighted match was 
used for firing it. 

6. The pistol was the next improvement on this unwieldy weapon, 
and had its name from being originally made at Pistoja, in Tuscany ; 
but this was a very clumsy thing, being only a short arquebuss. In 
time, the contrivance of striking fire with a flint, and a reduction 
in the size and weight of fire-arms, brought them into general use, 
and the bow and arrow were entirely laid aside, as was also the 
pike, another formidable weapon, which was much in use in the six- 
teenth and seventeenth centuries. 

7. The first account we have of any attempt to dress soldiers in 
uniform, is in an order of Henry VIII. for the clothing of some 
troops raised for an invasion of France. The coats were to be blue 
with a great deal of red about them, and every man was to wear a 
red stocking on his right leg, and a blue one on his left. In Queen 
Elizabeth's time there were some regulations respecting soldiers' 
dress. One company, as we learn, was to be " clothed in motley, or 
some other sad-green color." A regular national uniform was not 
established before the time of George I. 

8. As we have been speaking of the improvement in the weapons 
of war, it may not be amiss to say something of the progress in the 
art of healing wounds. On the first introduction of fire-arms, it 
was an opinion among the surgeons that there was something ven- 
omous in gunpowder, which poisoned all gunshot injuries, and their 
method of cure was to pour boiling oil into the wound. Happily, a 
young surgeon, Ambrose Par6, in the army of Francis I., of France, 
having on one occasion expended all his oil, was obliged to dress the 
remainder of the soldiers' wounds without it. 

9. He could hardly sleep, as he tells us, thinking of his patients, 
and rose early in the morning, expecting to find all those whose 
wounds had not been scalded, either dead or " empoisoned." But 
to his surprise he found that they had rested well, and were free 
from pain, while the others were in fevers, and their wounds in- 
flamed ; " which being the case," he adds, " I resolved with myself 
never to burn gunshot wounds any more." 

the use of fire-arms? 6. From what did tlie pistol derive its name? 7. What of the 
uniform dress of soldiers? 8. What was the old mode of dressing gunshot wounds? 
Who introduced a change ? 



364 QUEEN ANNE. — 1702. 

CHAPTER CXCI. 

Queen Anne. — The Duke of Marlborough. — Battle of Blenheim. 

1. William and Mary having no children, Queen Anne suc- 
ceeded to the throne, being in the thirty-ninth year of her age. She 
had a good natural capacity, but it had been very little cultivated. 
In private life she would have been a very estimable character, but 
she wanted the decision and energy neces^iary to make a great queen. 
Her person was engaging, but without dignity. Her features were 
regular, but her complexion was too florid, and her face too full and 
plump to be perfectly handsome. 

2. She had married, in 1683, George, son of the King of Den- 
mark. The husband of a queen, in her own right, does not become 
a king, and Prince George had no greater dignities in the state than 
those of commander-in-chief of the queen's forces, and lord high 
admiral, or commander-in-chief of the navy. They had many 
children, who all died in infancy, except one son. This young prince 
lived to be eleven years old. 

3. His death was occasioned by catching cold, after having been 
heated in dancing. It caused the most bitter grief to his parents, 
especially his mother, who, after that event, never regained her 
former vivacity. She considered the early death of all her children 
as a punishment inflicted by Heaven for her failure in filial duty. 
Though Anne took part with her sister and William against her 
father, she never seemed satisfied with her conduct in so doing ; and 
it was generally believed that, had James outlived William, she 
would have declined the crown. 

4. She did not feel the same scruples with regard to her brother; 
still, however, her heart inclined to his cause, and nothing but her 
anxiety for the Protestant establishment prevented her from taking 
a decided part in favor of his claims to succeed herself upon the 
throne. This question about the succession agitated the kingdom 
during her whole reign. The tories were in favor of the Pretender, 
as he was called, and of the house of Stuart, while the whigs were 
friends of the house of Hanover and the Protestant succession, as it 
had been established by law. 

5. The greatest weakness in Anne's character, was that of being 
too much influenced by her favorites, to whom she attached herself 
ardently, and whom she permitted to treat her with more freedom 
than it was judicious for a queen to allow. The first and chief 
favorite was Sarah Jennings, wife of John Churchill, who became 
Duke of Marlborough. The duchess was a clever woman, but of an 
imperious and meddling temper. So great was the intimacy be- 
tween her and the queen, that for a long time they corresponded 

CXCI.— 1. What of QiifPn Anne? 2. What of her husband? What of her children f 
How did the death of her cliildren affect her? 4. What of the question of succession? 
5. What weakness had Anne? Who was her first favorite? What of the Duke of Marl- 



BATTLE OF BLENHEIM. — 1704. 365 

with each other, under the assumed names of Mrs. Freeman and 
Mrs. Morley. 

6. The father of John Churchill held some inferior place in the 
court of Charles II. Young Churchill entered the army at twelve 
years of age, and was engaged in active service nearly the whole of 
his life, which proved a long one. His great abilities recommended 
him to William, who made him Earl of Marlborough, and appointed 
him to the command of his armies, first in Ireland, and afterwards 
on the continent. 

7. On the accession of Anne, he was appointed to the command 
of the English troops in the new war which England, in connection 
with Germany and Holland, was about to undertake against France 
and Spain, and for which William was preparing at the time of his 
death. Marlborough was also appointed by the Dutch to the chief 
command of their troops. The campaign of 1702 was not distin- 
guished by any great event. 

8. There is a story told of a remarkable escape which Marlborough 
himself met with at this time. He had embarked on the river 
Meuse, with some Dutch deputies and a guard of soldiers, and was 
intending to go to the Hague. At the close of the evening, some 
French troops, who had been lurking about, and were on the watch 
for plunder, suddenly darted out from among the reeds by the river 
side, and, seizing the hauling-line, rushed into the boat. 

9. They immediately secured the soldiers, and would have made 
the Dutch deputies prisoners also, had they not produced their pass- 
ports. Marlborough was not provided with a passport, but one of 
his attendants, having an old one, slipped it into his hand ; and the 
French officer, not having time to examine it, let him go, after 
plundering the boat and carrying off the soldiers. Marlborough 
and his companions arrived safely at the Hague, where they found 
the town in the utmost consternation, a report having reached it 
that they had all been taken prisoners. 

10. The war was carried on with great activity during 1703. In 
1704, the English and Dutch armies, under the command of Marl- 
borough, who had now become a duke, were joined by the army of 
the Emperor of Germany, under Prince Eugene. On the 13th of 
August, 1704, the combined armies gained, at Blenheim, a complete 
victory over the French. The consequences of this triumph were of 
immense importance, and the Duke of Marlborough,who was from this 
time looked up to as the greatest commander since the Black Prince, 
received a corresponding reward. The queen bestowed on him the 
estate of Woodstock, near Oxford, and a noble mansion was there 
built for him at the public expense, to which was given the name 
of Blenheim. 

11. The duke's success in war was not accidental. He possessed 
the qualities which insure success in every profession. He was a 
man of extreme calmness and tranquillity ; nothing fluri-ied, nothing 
disconcerted him. Commanding an army composed of men of dif- 



borough in early life? 8. What escape had he? 10. When was the battle of Blenheim 
31 * 



366 GIBRALTAR TAKEN FROM THE SPANIARDS. 1704. 

ferent nations, whose interests were perpetually clashing, he listened 
to no cabals, but acted for the public cause. 

12. Of his command of temper, we remember one very striking 
instance. Prince Eugene had proposed, at a council of war, that an 
attack should be made the next day on the enemy. Though nothing 
could be more evidently judicious than this proposal, the duke posi- 
tively refused to consent to it. The prince called him a coward, and 
challenged him to fight a duel ; but Marlborough kept his temper, 
and declined the challenge. Upon this, Eugene, being violently 
enraged, left the council. 

13. Early the next morning he was awakened by Marlborough, who, 
coming to his bedside, desired him to rise, as he was preparing to 
make the attack, and added, " I could not tell you my determination 
last night, because there was a person present who I knew would be- 
tray our plans to the enemy." The prince, ashamed of his own intem- 
perate conduct, asked pardon of the duke, who accepted his apologies, 
saying, " I thought, my dear prince, you would in time be satisfied." 



CHAPTER CXCII. 

Gibraltar taken from the Spaniards. — Ingrafittide of the Country to its 
Captors. — Sir Cloudcsktj Shovel. — Robinson Crusoe. 

1. The treatment of the Duke of Marlborough by his sovereign 
and fellow-subjects, contrasts strangely with that received by a dis- 
tinguished naval commander. The fortress of Gibraltar, which 
commands the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, had hitherto 
been deemed impregnable. It stands on the summit of a steep and 
rocky mountain, and is almost inaccessible, even when the approach 
is unopposed. A few brave troops, under a skilful commander, 
could hold it against the most numerous armies. 

2. Sir George Eooke, returning with a squadron from an unsuc- 
cessful expedition against Barcelona, determined to retrieve any 
reputation which he might have lost, by taking this fortress. The 
Prince of Hesse, who commanded the land forces, very unwillingly 
yielded his assent to what he considered a hopeless attempt. So it 
proved, so far as the land forces were concerned. The soldiers 
could effect nothing. 

3. A detachment of sailors was then landed, who, mounting the 
rocks with the ease and alacrity of the monkeys wlao make their 
home among them, soon compelled the governor to surrender ; and 
the Prince of Hesse entered the town, amazed at the success of so 
desperate an enterprise. Sir George might well have expected re- 
wards and honors for so brilliant an exploit. But he had no influ- 
ential wife at the side of the queen, no powerful friends in parliament. 

fought? Between whom? 11. What of Marlborough's abilities? 12, 13. What in- 
stance of his command of temper? 

CXCII. — 1. What of the fortress of Gibraltar? 2. Relate the particulars of its cap- 



SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL. 367 

4. An attempt was made by some one to get a vote of thanks from 
the latter, but tliat body decided that the exploit was not worth their 
thanks, and Sir George was suffered to pass the rest of his life in 
retirement and obscurity. From all Marlborough's victories, Eng- 
land derived no permanent advantage, but merely the name of 
having beaten her enemies. But Gibraltar still remains to her, 
and is one of the most important of her foreign possessions. 

5. There was another naval commander who is worthy of men- 
tion. This was Sir Cloudesley Shovel, who was born of poor 
parents, and apprenticed, when very young, to a shoemaker. This 
employment was not at all to his taste, so he left his master, and 
became a cabin-boy on board a ship of war. During the heat of 
an engagement, the admiral wished to send some despatches to 
another ship, and young Cloudesley volunteered to perform the 
dangerous service. Taking the papers in his mouth, he conveyed 
them in safety through the enemy's line of fire. 

6. This bold deed obtained for him the. notice of the officers of 
the fleet. In time he was made a lieutenant, and after that, his 
rise was rapid. Both James and William promoted him. From 
Anne he received many honors and distinctions; but none of these 
altered the original simplicity of his manners and character. In 
1705 he was sent with a fleet to aid the operations, in Spain, of the 
Earl of Peterborough, a general whose exploits have all the charac- 
ter of the age of chivalry. 

7. As Sir Cloudesley was returning from this expedition, iu 1707, 
his ship, with three others, was wrecked on the rocks of the Scilly 
Isles. Out of the four ships' crews, only one captain and twenty- 
four seamen were saved. Sir Cloudesley's body was found on the 
shore, having been stripped by the country people and buried in 
the sand. It was afterwards taken up and deposited in West- 
minster Abbey, where lie buried the bodies of most Englishmen 
who have been distinguished in any profession. 

8. Many years after the shipwreck, an old woman sent for a 
clergyman, and told him that she wished, before she died, to con- 
fess to him a dreadful crime, which burdened her conscience. She 
then told him that Admiral Shovel had survived the wreck, and 
had reached her hut in a very exhausted state ; that he lay down 
on her bed to rest, and that she, tempted by the value of the things 
he had about him, had murdered him. 

9. This shipwreck reminds us of Robinson Crusoe, whose adven- 
tures were written by Daniel Defoe, a voluminous author of Queen 
Anne's reign. It is not a real history, but a fictitious story. It is 
supposed that the adventures of Alexander Selkirk, who lived some 
years on the island of Juan Fernandez, in tlie Pacific Ocean, sug- 
gested to Defoe the idea of writing this delightful book ; a work 
which has been translated into more languages than perhaps any 
other book of amusement. 

ture. 4. What reward had the captors ? 5. Relate what is said of Sir Cloudesley Shovel. 
8. What of his death? 9. What of Robinson Crusoe? 



368 PEACE OF UTRECHT. — 1713. 



CHAPTER CXCIII. 

Marlborough continues his vidorioiis Career. — He loses the Favor of the 
Queen and the People. — Peace of Utrecht. — Contests between the 
Whigs and Tories. — Death of Anne. — Union bettveen Scotland and 
England. 

1. We left the Duke of Marlborough enjoying the reward of his 
successful campaign on the continent. He gained many more vic- 
tories during the war; of which the most celebrated are those of 
Eamillies, May 23d, 1706; of Oudenarde, July 11th, 1706; and of 
Malplaquet, September lltli, 1709. All this time his enemies and 
rivals at home were busily endeavoring to undermine his favor 
with the queen ; and they at last succeeded. 

2. He had always had great influence in the political councils 
of Anne; but he was now supplanted by Mr. Harley, afterwards 
Eai'l of Oxford. At the same time a Mrs. Masham supplanted the 
Duchess of Marlborough as the queen's favorite. Marlborough, as 
his favor diminished at court, seems to have lost the affections of 
the people. On coming into England in 1710, instead of being 
caressed as formerly, aad received with a triumphant welcome, he 
saw himself insulted and reviled. 

3. He returned to the army, and continued to conduct the affairs 
of the war with his usual ability and success. But the tories, at the 
head of whom was the Earl of Oxford, were not content till they pro- 
cured his dismissal from the command of the army ; which they 
effected in 1711. Animosity towards him was not the sole motive 
for this ; the war had been a favorite measure with the whigs. 

4. The tories were desirous of peace, and they could not effect 
their wishes so long as Marlborough retained any power, for it was 
believed, and his well-known avarice gave some foundation for the 
belief, that all his influence would be exerted to continue the war, 
that he might retain his lucrative offices. The tories prevailed, 
and peace Avas signed at Utrecht in April, 1713. By this treaty, 
Newfoundland, Hudson's Bay, and the Island of St. Christopher 
were ceded by France to England. 

5. Louis also agreed to abandon the cause of the Pretender, who 
had now assumed the name of the Chevalier St. George. Louis, 
however, still continued to protect him. He had married a daugh- 
ter of John Sobieski, King of Poland. He had two sons, Charles 
Edward and Henry, The eldest was afterwards known as the 
young pretender. Plenry became a Roman Catholic priest, and 
was afterwards Cardinal of York. 

6. The intolerable dissensions between the leaders of the two great 

CXCIII. — 1. What other victories did Marlborough obtain? Give the dates. 2. By 
whom was Marlborough supplanted in Anne's favor? Who supplanted his wife? "What 
of Marlborough's favor wi til the people? 3. What did his opponents do? i. What of 
the peace? When and where was it signed? 5. What of the Pretender? AVhat of his 
Bons ? 6. What of the quarrels between the whigs and tories ? What did the whigs do 



DEATH OF QUEEN ANNE. — 1714. 369 

parties, the whigs and the tories, who never met at the council with- 
out violent altercations, kept the queen in such a state of disquietude, 
as at last to destroy her health. The whigs proved in the end the 
strongest ; and at length, the queen's death visibly approaching, a 
letter was sent to George, Elector of Hanover, who, by the death of 
his mother, Sophia, was the head of the Protestant succession, desir- 
ing him to come to Holland, where a fleet should be in waiting to 
escort him to England. 

7. Heralds were kept in waiting to proclaim King George the 
instant the queen should expire. The seaports were all secured, and 
every precaution was taken to prevent the tories and Jacobites from 
attempting the restoration of the Stuarts. The queen died August 
1, 1714, in the fiftieth year of her age, and the thirteenth of her 
reign. Prince George died several years before her. With Anne 
the line of sovereigns of the house of Stuart ended. 

8. Though Anne was a woman of no very brilliant qualities, yet 
many lasting benefits were in her reign conferred on the country. 
Among these was the union with Scotland. Hitherto England 
and Scotland had been considered as separate countries ; each had 
its own parliament, and regarded itself as an independent kingdom, 
subject, however, to the same sovereign. 

9. This was a very troublesome arrangement, and a perfect union 
had long been desired by the most discreet persons of both king- 
doms. This was now effected ; the two kingdoms were henceforth 
to be one country ; each was to retain its own peculiar laws, and 
one parliament was to serve for both. This measure, which met 
with much opposition at the time, has proved of incalculable benefit 
to both countries. 

FAMILY OF ANNE. 

HUSBAND. 
George, son of the King of Denmark. 

CHILDREN. 

She had nine children, all of whom died in infancy except one son, named 
George, who lived to be eleven years old, and died in 1700. 

TABLE OF SOVEREIGNS OF THE STUART FAMILY. 

Began to reign. Reigned. 

1603 . . 22 . . James I. of England and VI. of Scotland, great 

great-grandson of Henry VII. 
1625 . . 24 . . Charles I., son of James I. Beheaded by order of 

the parliament. 

COMMONWEALTH. 

1653 . . 5 . . Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector. 
1658 . . . . Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector, resigns his 

power. 



when the queen became ill ? 7. When did she die ? 8, 9. What particular benefit did 
she confer on the country ? 



370 GREAT MEN OF QUEEN ANNe's TIME. — 1702-1714. 

HOUSE OF STUART RESTORED TO THE THRONE. 
Began to reign. Reign pd. 

1660 . . 25 . . Charles II., son of Charles I. 

1685 . . 3 . . James II., son of Charles I. He .abdicates the 

throne. 
1688 . . 14 . . William III. and Mary. The latter the daughter 

of James II. 
1702 . . 12 . . Anne, daughter of James II. 



CHAPTER CXCIV. 

OJ the great Men of Queen Anne's Time. — Newton — Locke — Clarke- 
Pope — Addison — Swift — Wafts. 




1. The reign of Anne was a very brilliant epoch in English his- 
tory, and verj'^ few other periods can be named in which so many 
men of genius flourished together. We have already spoken about 
the chief naval and military heroes. We must now mention some of 
those who contributed to give the age a much more lasting reputation. 

2. First comes Sir Isaac Newton, who was not only one of the 
profoundest philosophers, but also one of the most sincere and hum- 
ble Christians that ever lived. His father was a gentleman of small 
estate at Woolsthorpe, and died when his son, who was born on 
Christmas-day, 1642, was very young. His widow married again, 
and Isaac was employed by his step-fiither as a shepherd-boy. 



CXCIV .—1. What of Queen Anne's reign ? 2. What of the early life of Newton? 5. 



GREAT MEN OF QUEEN ANNE's TIME. — 1702-1714. 371 

3. One day, while he was keeping the sheep, a gentleman passing 
by observed that he was deeply occupied in some book, and had the 
curiosity to ask him what it was. To his surprise, he found that it 
was a work on practical geometry. This circumstance was men- 
tioned to his mother's relations, who took him from his humble 
employment, and placed him at school at Grantham. His progress 
there was quite astonishing ; and he was noted for his strange in- 
ventions, and extraordinary inclination for mechanics. 

4. He had a little shop of tools, as little saws, hatchets, and ham- 
mers, with which he amused himself in making models in wood of 
various things. Whilst his companions were flying kites, he was 
occupied In investigating the best form which could be given to 
them, and the most advantageous place for tying the string. 
From school he was sent to the University of Cambridge; of which, 
at a very early age, he became a professor. 

5. Newton made many discoveries, any one of which would be 
sufficient to bestow a lasting fame. The chief are the theory of 
colors, and the laws of gravitation, or that force by which the sun, 
moon, and planets are kept in their relative positions. To men of 
genius the most ti'ifling incidents sometimes suggest matters of deep 
importance. The plague broke out at Cambridge, and Newton was 
obliged to return home. 

6. As he was one day sitting in his garden, the falling of an apple 
from a tree led his thoughts to the subject of gravity, and consider- 
ing that this power does not sensibly diminish at the points the 
most remote from the earth's centre, even at the tops of the highest 
mountains, he thought that it must extend much further. Why 
not to the moon? was his next question to himself. 

7. He pursued the inquiry thus suggested, until he discovered 
that the law which keeps the moon revolving about the earth, and 
the planets revolving about the sun, is the same with that which 
causes an apple to fall to the ground, that is, draws it towards the 
centre of the earth. Newton's extreme modesty and gentleness of 
temper were more extraordinary than even his talents and acquire- 
ments. He lived to the age of eighty-five years, retaining to the 
close of his life the full use of his powers of mind. 

8. He was never guilty of any one excess, except it be excess of 
study. We are told that one day, when his favorite little dog, 
Diamond, destroyed a manuscript which he had spent much 
time in completing, all that he said was, " O Diamond, Diamond, 
thou little knowest the mischief thou hast done I" and then quietly 
set to work to repair the mischief by days and nights of hard study. 

9. In his person this extraordinary man was of middling stature ; 
his countenance was pleasing, but did not display that deep sagacity 
which is everywhere perceptible in his writings. Contemporary 
with Newton was John Locke, a distinguished moral philosopher, 
who wrote Essays on the Human Understanding, and works on 
Education, Government, &c. At the request of his friend, Lord 

What discoveries did he make? 6,7. Relate the iucident connected with that of 
the laws of gravitation. 8. Relate the anecdote showing his mildness. 9. What of 



372 GEORGE I. — 1714. 

Shaftesbury, he )>repared a constitution for the colony of North 
Carolina, which tliat nobleman and others were about to establish. 

10. Queen Caroline, wife of George II., of whom you will pres- 
ently hear, was a great admirer of men of profound talent. Her 
IJavilion at Richmond was adorned by the busts of Bacon, Newton, 
Locke, and Clarke. The last-named, Dr. Samuel Clarke, was an- 
other of the truly great men who flourished in the time of Queen 
Anne. He is alike distinguished for his theological and his 
philosophical works. 

11. But the men we have mentioned are not those usually in- 
tended by the phrase "the writers of Queerj Anne's time," who 
rendered that period an epoch in the history of taste and literature. 
The chief of these were Pope and Addison, wiio, perhaps, did more 
towards the improvement of the general style of thinking and 
writing than any other authors have done. 

12. Pope stands next to Milton in the list of English poets. He 
was happier in one respect, for his merits were appreciated by his 
contemporaries, and produced to him a handsome fortune, which 
enabled him to entertain his friends at his villa at Twickenham. 
Addison, assisted by Steele and others, published the Spectator and 
Tatler. 

13. These were the first periodical papers which pretended to any 
literary merit, published in England. They were read with the 
greatest assiduity by all classes of persons, and were long referred to 
as models upon which to form a correct style of writing. Youthful 
readers are perhaps more familiar with the works of another great 
genius of this age. Dean Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels. 

14. Perhaps they do not know that what seems to them merely a 
fabulous story about Liliputians, was a very severe satire, well 
understood at the time. We should not be forgiven if we omitted 
to mention that great and good man, Dr. Isaac Watts, who may 
emphatically be called the benefactor of children. 

15. It is true he did not die till 1748, but he was then at the 
advanced age of seventy-five years, so that he was in the maturity 
of his powers during Queen Anne's reign. Plis name is now most 
familiar to us as the author of many beautiful hymns, and a poeti- 
cal version of the Psalms ; but he was also distinguished as a writer 
on philosophical subjects. 



CHAPTER CXCV. 

George I. — Rebellion in Scotland. — Fight of Sheriff- Muir. 

1. The arrangements of the whigs were entirely successful. The 
breath was hardly out of Anne's body, before proclamation was made 

t-ocke? 10. What of Clarke? 12. What of Pope? Of Addison? Of Swift? Of 
Watts ? 



REBELLION IN SCOTLAND. — 1715. 373 

of the Elector of Hanover as king, by the title of George I. He 
was met at his landing in England by many persons of high office 
and rank ; amongst others, by the Duke of Marlborough, whom he 
ever treated with great distinction. 

2. George, at his accession, was in the fifty-fifth year of his 
age. He was a man of plain, steady understanding, grave in his 
manners, and simple in his habits. He had an honest, sensible 
countenance, without anything very striking. A late nobleman tells 
us, that when he was a little boy he had a great desire to see the 
king ; and as his father held a high office, his wish was indulged, 
and he was allowed to go into a room where the king was at supper. 

3. He "there saw a short hale man, with an aspect rather good 
than dignified, having on a large wig, and dressed in a complete suit 
of snuft-colored clothes, with stockings to match; and this man was 
George I." As the king could speak but little English, and his 
chief minister, Sir Robert Walpole, understood neither German 
nor French, the intercourse between them was carried on in Latin. 

4. In all his notions and ways the king was too much of a Ger- 
man to be popular in England. He had married the Princess 
Sophia Dorothea, of Zell, and either had, or supposed himself to 
have, so much reason to be displeased with her conduct, that he 
shut her up in the castle of Ahlden, not far from Hanover. 

5. In this gloomy building, on the banks of the river Aller, she 
passed the last forty years of her life. Her only son, George, when 
he grew to be a man, had a strong desire to see her; but he tried in 
vain to accomplish it. One day he swam his horse across the Aller, 
made his way to the gates of the castle, and passed the outer moat, 
or ditch ; but when he got to the draw-bridge of the inner moat, 
the governor of the castle met him, and made him retire. 

6. George I. did not leave room for any doubt as to the political 
party which was to have his support. The whigs were received by 
him with the greatest courtesy and kindness, whilst the tories met 
with decided marks of disapprobation. If he had been content with 
this, it would have been better for his reputation and his quiet, but 
he suffered the whigs to persecute the tory leaders. Lord Oxford 
was committed to the Tower on a charge of treason. The Duke of 
Ormond and Lord Bolingbroke fied to France to escape a similar 
fate, and their names were stricken I'rom the list of English peers. 

7. These violent proceedings excited indignation, and the dis- 
content at length broke out into open rebellion. The Earl of Mar, 
a Highland chieftain, assembled his vassals, and on the Oth of Sep- 
tember, 1715, proclaimed James Stuart to be king; about the same 
time the Earl of Derwentwater and Mr. Foster took up arms in the 
north of England, in the same cause. They were joined by Lords 
Kinmuir and Nithsdale, and other Scottish gentlemen. 

8. On the other side, the Duke of Argyle summoned his clansmen, 
the numerous and powerful Campbells, to take up arms for King 

CXCV. — 1. What of the success of the whigs' arrangements? 2. What of George? 3. 
How is he described by one wlio saw him? What of his knowledge of the English lan- 
guage? 4,5. What of his wile? 6. What of his treatment of the political partie-s 

32 



374 OF THE pasiNt; in England. — 1715. 

George. With these he met the Earl of Mar near Dumblane, at 
Sheriff-Muir. The earl's troops were at the first onset successful, 
and General ^V'hetham, who commanded a division of Argyle's 
army, lied, full gallop, to Stirling, exclaiming that the king's army 
was completely defeated. 

9. In the mean time Argyle's own division had defeated the body 
of the rebels opposed to them, but on returning to the field, met the 
victorious insurgents. Neither party felt disposed to renew the 
contest, so they stood looking at each other for several hours, and 
at length drew off different ways, each party claiming the victory. 
One of the Jacobite songs, in allusion to this battle, begins thus : 

10. There's some say that we won, 
Some say that they won, 
Some say that none won 
At a', man. 

But one thing I'm sure, 
That at SherifiF-Muir 
A battle there was, 

Which I saw, man. 

And we ran, and they ran, 
And they ran, and we ran, 
And we ran, and they ran, 
Awa', man. 

11. The Duke of Argyle, however, had all the fruits of victory. 
On December 22d, the Pretender arrived in Scotland, attended by 
only six gentlemen. In the expectation that the whole country 
would rise in his cause, he fixed January 16th, 1716, for the day of 
his coronation at Scone, where his ancestors for many generations 
had been crowned Kings of Scotlandi But before the appointed 
day arrived, he was so closely pursued by Argyle, that he was glad 
to abandon his enterprise, and get back to France. 



CHAPTER CXCVI. 

Of the Rmng in England. — How Lord Nifhsdak effected his Escape 
from Prison. — The South-Sea Scheme. — Death of George I. 

1. On the very day of the fight at Sheriff-Muir, November 12th, 
the English Jacobites under Derweutwater and his companions 
had been compelled to surrender to the troops of King George. 
The prisoners were treated with the greatest cruelty. The leaders 
were sent to London, and were led through the streets to the vari- 
ous prisons, pinioned like common malefactors. Derweutwater, 

7. Wliat was the consequence of the violence against the tories? Wliat of the rebel- 
lion in Scotland? 8,9, 10. What of his fight of Sheriff-Muir? 11. What of the Pre- 
tender? 



ESCAPE OF LORD NITHSDALE FROM PRISON. 1715. 375 

Kenmuir, and Nithsdale were condemned to be beheaded, and the 
two former were executed. 

2. Many of the rest were huns;, and more than 1000 Avere banished 
to America. Lord Nithsdale effected his escape in a manner which 
is worth relating. His wife was in Scotland when she heard of her 
husband's danger. She set off at once for London, and rode the 
greatest part of the way on horseback, and in so deep a snow, that 
it was frequently up to her saddle-girths. On her arrival, she per- 
sonally petitioned the king for her husband's life, but in vain. She 
therefore set herself to work to effect his escape from prison. 

3. Having jjermission to visit her lord, and to bring with her one 
friend at a time, to take leave of him before his death, she took a 
Mrs. Mills and another lady in a coach to the Tower, and left the 
former waiting in the carriage, while she and the other lady went 
into Lord Nithsdale's apartment. This lady, who was of a slender 
shape, had on two suits of clothes, and two riding-hoods. 

4. One of these suits she took off" and left with Lord Nithsdale, 
and then went back to the carriage, where she waited while Mrs. 
Mills paid her visit. Mrs. Mills changed her dress for the one the 
other lady had left, and then returned to the coach. As Mrs. Mills 
was a large, stout woman, her clothes fitted Lord Nithsdale very 
well ; but as he was of a dark complexion, and she of a fair one, with 
yellow hair, some further contrivance was necessary before he could 
pass for her without remark. 

5. However, by the help of white and red paint, and painting 
his eyebrows yellow, and putting on a woman's wig of yellow hair, 
he was made a very tolerable copy of good Mrs. Mills. When his 
disguise was completed, his wife, who had assisted at his toilet, con- 
ducted him out of the room, and, in the hearing of the guards, called 
him Betty, and told him to run quickly and send her maid to her. 
The guards, suspecting nothing, opened the doors for the supposed 
Betty. 

6. Thus Lord Nithsdale got out of prison, and was conducted to a 
lodging that had been provided. In the mean time. Lady Nithsdale 
returned to the room that had been her lord's prison, and began to 
talk in a loud A'oice, and sometimes imitated his, to make the guards 
on the outside? of the door believe they were conversing together. 
How she had the power to do this, we can hardly imagine, for her 
poor heart must have been beating all the time with fear lest her 
husband should be discovered in his disguise. 

7. After she had carried on the pretended conversation for some 
time, she left the prison, and hastened to the place of her lord's con- 
cealment. A miserable place it was, being a small room in a 
wretched house, full of all sorts of lodgers. In this apartment they 
remained three days ; and that it might not be known that it was 
inhabited, they sat perfectly still during the whole time, with nothing 
to eat but some bread and wine whicii Mrs. Mills, who came to 
them once or twice, brought in her pocket. 

8. At last this indefatigable friend, having prepared everything for 

CXCVI. — 1. What of the Earl of Derweutwater and his companions? 2. Relate the 



376 DRATH OF GEORGE I., — 1727. 

his leaving the kingdom, released the prisoners, and took Lord Niths- 
dale to the house of the Venetian ambassador, who was about to 
send his carriage to Dover. Nithsdale put on a suit of livery, as 
the uniform dress usually worn by the servants of the rich is called, 
and so passed safely to Dover, and thence to Calais. The passage 
across the channel from Dover to Calais was so short, that the cap- 
tain of the vessel observed, that the wind could not have served 
them better if his passengers had been flying for their lives. 

9. No further attempt was made by the Jacobites in England dur- 
ing the reign of George I. in favor of the pretender. Indeed, after 
he had been in Scotland, and his adherents had seen that he was 
not the high-minded hero they had enthusiastically fancied him to 
be, his cause visibly declined. He Avas, in fact, a man of very slen- 
der abilities, and of a mean, selfish character. 

10. Little else worthy of mention occurred during the reign of 
George L, if we except the South-Sea Scheme, as it was called. This 
was contrived by Sir John Blount, a speculating man, and the object 
was to enable an association of men, called the South-Sea Company, 
because it was originally formed to trade to the Pacific or South 
Seas, to buy up all the debt of Great Britain. This debt amounted 
to a very large sum, and the greater part was contracted by Wil- 
liam, in carrying on his wars upon the continent. 

IL It was made to appear that the speculation would be enor- 
mously profitable to the company, and the whole nation, as if by a 
general impulse of avarice, became eager to engage in it. Multi- 
tudes advanced their whole fortunes, iu the expectation of receiving 
a great return. But the bubble soon burst, and the whole was 
found to be a fraudulent scheme of a few unprincipled speculators. 

12. The king was much attached to Hanover, and made frequent 
visits thither. In 1727, he set out with the intention of going there 
once more. He had proceeded as far as Delden, a small town on 
the frontiers of Germany, when he was taken extremely ill. Instead 
of sto|)ping, he pushed forward, in the hope of reaching the palace 
of his brother, who was Bishop of Osnaburg. But he did not live to 
get there. When the carriage stopped at the gate of the palace, he 
was found lying a corpse Avithin. He died in the sixty-eighth year 
of his age, and thirteenth of his reign. 

KAMILY OF GEORGE I. 

WIFE. 

Sophia Dorothea, of Zell. 

CHILDREN. 

George Augustus, Prince of Wales. 

A daughter, uiarried to Frederick William, King of Prussia. 

particulars of Nithsdale's escape. 9. Were any other attempts made in this reign to 
restore the Stuarts? 10. What of the South-Sea Scheme? 12. Relate the particulars of 
the king's death. What was the length of his life? Of his reign? 



GEORGE II. — 1727. 377 



CHAPTEE CXCVII. 



George II. — Queen Caroline. — War on the Continent. — Battle of Fon- 
tenoy. — Anson's Voyage round the tvorld. 

1. George II. was in the forty-fifth year of his age, when, by the 
sudden death of his father, he became king, 1727. In his person he 
was below the middle height, well shaped and upright. His com- 
plexion was fair, his nose aquiline, and his eyes remarkably promi- 
nent. His abilities were inferior to those of his father, and his temper 
hasty. He was simple in his tastes and habits. His strongest feeling 
Avas a preference for Hanover to England. 

2. His wife. Queen Caroline, united brilliant beauty to a strong 
understanding and great goodness of heart. We have already men- 
tioned her regard for men of science, and with such she delighted to 
converse. She died in 1737, and the king's grief for her loss was 
sincere and excessive, though during her life he had not always 
treated her with tenderness ; for which her mischievous interference 
in politics furnished some apology. 

3. George II., on his accession, found the country in a state of 
great tranquillity, and little occurfed for many years to disturb it. 
The winter of 1740 was remarkable for the most severe frost that had 
ever been known in England. It began at Christmas, and lasted till 
the latter end of February. The Thames was so strongly frozen 
over, that tents and booths were raised upon it, and various sports 
were exhibited upon the ice for the diversion of the people. 

4. But these amusements could not divert the poor from the feel- 
ing of the privations they suffered from the continuance of the severe 
weather. The watermen and fishermen were thrown out of work, 
and fuel and provisions became so dear, that, if it had not been for 
the charity of the rich, many persons must have perished with cold 
and hunger. 

5. A contest arose about this time between Maria Theresa and the 
Elector of Bavaria, for the throne of Germany. Nearly all the states 
of Europe became involved in the quarrel on one side or the other. 
The King of England espoused the cause of Maria Theresa, and, 
in 1743, took the command of his troops on the continent in person. 
The only engagement in which he had a jiart, appears to have been 
in repelling an attack of the French upon his army, while posted at 
Dettingen. 

6. In this he displayed great personal courage, exposing himself 
to the fire of the musketry and cannon, riding along the line and 
encouraging the men to fight for the honor of England. This was 
the last occasion on which a king of England exposed his person in 
battle. Upon his departure, the command of the army devolved 
upon his son, the Duke of Cumberland, who, on the SOth of April, 
1745, was defeated by the French at Fontenoy. 

CXCVII.— 1. What Qf George II.? 2. What of Queen Caroline? 3. What of the 
state of the country ? What of the winter of 1740 ? 6. In what war did he engage ? 

32* 



378 anson's voyage round the world. — 1740-1744. 

7. The English naval forces conducted themselves with their 
usual gallantry during this war, but there is nothing worthy of spe- 
cial mention, except the expedition of Commodore Anson. On the 
18th of September, 1740, he sailed from England, with a small 
squadron, to act against the Spanish settlements in Chili and Peru, 
on the western side of South America. Touching at the island of 
Madeira, he proceeded thence to the Cape de Verd Islands ; thence 
sailing along the coast of Brazil, he stopped at the island of St. 
Catharine. 

8. At this delightful island, which lies in twenty-seven degrees 
south latitude, and which enjoys all the verdure and fruitfulness of 
that luxurious climate, he remained some time, for the j)urpose of 
recruiting the sti-ength of his men. He then again set sail, coasting 
along the shores of Patagonia, and, in about five months from the 
time he left England, he entered the Straits of Magellan. His own 
ship, the Centurion, at last reached the island of Juan Fernandez, 
in the Pacific Ocean, after encounteriiig the utmost perils from most 
horrible tempests, by which the rest of the fleet were disj^ersed or 
wrecked. 

9. Here he was joined by the Gloucester ship of war and two 
small vessels with stores. After repairing the ships, which were 
much shattered, and refreshing the men, a large number of whom 
were ill of the scurvy, a disease which the constant use of salted pro- 
visions is apt to bring upon seamen, he proceeded to execute the 
object of the expedition. He plundered and burnt the town of Paita, 
in Quito, and took several Spanish vessels. By this time he had lost 
so many of his men by sickness, that he was obliged to abandon all 
his vessels, except the Centurion. 

10. Although the survivors of all the crews had been taken on 
board this ship, yet the sickness made such ravages, and the ship 
itself was in such a disabled condition, that Anson found himself 
obliged to leave the enemy's coast. He then stretched across the 
Pacific (_)cean, and reached with difficulty the beautiful little island 
of Tinian, one of the Ladrones, of which he gives a most delightful 
account, and where he says verdant fields, groves, cascades, and 
flowers, contributed to please the senses. 

11. What was of more consequence to them, they found in great 
abundance all that a sea-beaten company of mariners could desire; 
clear and wholesome water, medicinal herbs, domestic animals, and 
the materials for refitting their vessel. When his men had recovered 
their health, Anson proceeded to Canton, where he obtained a rein- 
forcement of Dutch and Indian sailors. He then returned towards 
the coast of America, in the hope of intercepting a rich treasure- 
ship, which was known to sail annually from Acapulco, a port of 
Mexico, to Manilla, in the Philippine Isles. 

12. On the 9th of June, 1743, the ship they were in search of 
came in sight. She was much stronger than the Centurion, heavily 
armed, and having twice as many men. Still Anson did not hesitate 
to attack her, and, after a short engagement, she surrendered. He 

6. What of his conduct? When and where was the English army defeated? 7. Relate 



CHARLES EDWARD ARRIVES IN SCOTLAND. 1745. 379 

then returned to England by the way of the Cape of Good Hope. 
He arrived at Spithead, June 14th, 1744, having been absent nearly 
four years, and having sailed round the globe ; a frequent occurrence 
in our days, but which, in Anson's time, was thought to be no small 
achievement. 

13. The quantity of money he brought home was so great, that it 
required thirty-two wagons to convey it to London. This train of 
vehicles made quite a procession, and Avas accompanied with music 
playing and people shouting. A part of the stout ship Centurion is 
yet in existence. The huge red lion, that once was its head, now 
adorns a garden in Sussex. Anson received many public honors, 
and became quite an oracle in naval affairs. 



CHAPTER CXCVIII. 

Tiie young Pretender lands in Scotland. — 7s victorious at Frestonpans, 
and marches into England. — Is compelled to retreat. 

1. The possession of Hanover by the crown of Great Britain has 
been from the beginning a source of evil to the latter country ; since 
it has involved her in all the quarrels between the states of the 
continent, of which her insular situation would otherwise have made 
her a mere spectator, or, perhaps, a mediator. The great bodies of 
troops, and immense sums of money, which were annually sent out 
of the kingdom, excited the discontent of the people. 

2. At length the contests in parliament became so violent, and the 
murmurs of the people so loud, that the friends of the pretender were 
induced to believe that his presence in England would produce a gen- 
eral rising of the people in his favor. James himself was of too 
sluggish a nature to engage personally in the contest; he, therefore, 
deputed Charles Edward, his oldest son, to be his representative. 

3. In Jime, 1745, this prince embarked, with a few Scotch and 
Irish gentlemen, in a small frigate. His supply of arms was put on 
board a French ship, which was so much disabled in an engagement 
with an English vessel, that it was obliged to put back to France. 
The prince's vessel was more fortunate, and, on the 16th of July, he 
landed at Borodale, and was joined by a considerable number of 
Highlanders. 

4. A moment more favorable for this enterprise could not have 
been chosen. The king was in Hanover; the Duke of Cumberland, 
with the best part of the troops, was in Flanders; and the ministers 

the particulars of Anson's voyiige, till he readied Juan Fernandez. Till his arrival at 
Canton. The remainder of tlie voyage. 13. What of the remains of his ship? 

CXCVIII.— 1. What of the possession of Hanover by England? 3. When did the 
young pretender embark for Great Britain? What of his voyage? 4. What rendered 



380 BATTLE OF PRESTONPANS. 1745. 

and parliament were divided, as usual, by vehement political dis- 
putes. But Charles could not make the most of these advantages, for 
want of the arms which were in the French ship, on board of which 
a considerable number of French officers had embarked, whose ex- 
perience would have been of incalculable benefit to him. 

5. The news of his arrival threw all England into commotion. 
But the result was not such as the prince had expected ; instead of 
being joined by the opponents of the measures of the government, 
the political disputants forgot their animosities, and joined in the 
common cause against the Jacobites. The king soon returned, and 
messengers were instantly despatched, and a reward of $150,000 was 
offered to any one who would seize Charles Edward ; Charles, in 
retaliation, offered the same price for the head of the " Elector of 
Hanover." 

6. Meanwhile, the army of the prince was daily increasing in 
number, as he advanced into the country. On the 16th of Septem- 
ber he took possession of the town of Edinburgh, but could not take 
the castle, Avhich held out for King George. Sir John Cope, who 
commanded that king's forces in Scotland, hastened to its relief, and 
on the 20th of September, encamped at Prestonpans, about nine 
miles distant. The next morning Charles advanced to meet him, 
and the half-armed Highlanders attacked the king's troops with so 
much fury, that the latter could not stand the assault, but fled with 
the utmost precipitation. 

7. By this victory the prince obtained what he wanted most of all, 
arm§, ammunition, and a train of artillery. A considerable portion 
of Scotland was now in the possession of the Jacobites. The good 
conduct of Prince Charles greatly increased the popularity of his 
cause. He showed himself both vigorous in action and prudent in 
council, and bore his success with moderation. The King of France, 
seeing that his affairs were prosperous, sent him a supply of arms 
and officers, and promised that a large body of French should be 
landed in the south of England. 

8. Relying on this promise, Charles passed the borders of Scotland, 
and advanced as far as Derby, which is within four days' march of 
London. Indescribable alarm and consternation prevailed in that 
city. Those who were in London fled into the country, while those 
in the country fled to London, every person thinking the place he 
was in the place of danger. The king acted with energy and de- 
cision, and j)repared to take the field in person. 

9. But at the time when the alarm in London had risen to the 
utmost height, and the approach of the rebels was hourly expected, 
the threatening storm suddenly dispersed. The Scotch officers, 
hearing no tidings of the landing of their French allies, began to be 
afraid that they should be hemmed in by the English troops, which 
were collecting from all parts; they, therefore, resolved to retreat 
homewards. 

10. This measure was much against the wishes of the prince, who 

the time favorable for his attempt? 5. What effect did his arrival produce? 6. What 
of his success ? In what battle was he victorious ? 8. What induced him to march into 



BATTLE OP FALKIRK. 1746. 



381 



was for pushing on to London, before the consternation had subsided 
or the preparations for its defence were complete. Reluctantly 
compelled to submit to the decision of the rest, Prince Charles, dis- 
appointed and spiritless, followed in the rear of the army. It is 
worthy of remark, that, during the six weeks which the Scotch 
troops had been in England, they committed no kind of outrage or 
robbery, although they had often suffered greatly from hunger. 



CHAPTEE CXCIX. 

The Pretender is victorious at Falkirk, but is defeated at CuUoden. — 
Horrible Cruelties practised by the Victors. — Romantic Adventures 
of Prince diaries Edward. 




BATTLE OF CULLODEN. 

1, Chaeles soon recovered his spirit when the opportunity for 
active operations offered itself. On January 13, 1746, he obtained a 
victory at Falkirk, over a part of the English army. Meanwhile, 
the Duke of Cumberland, who had returned from the continent, had 
taken the command of the king's forces, and now advanced to 
Nairn, Avhich. is nine miles distant from Culloden, where the prince 
was posted. 

2. Charles, hearing of the approach of the English army, set out 
on the night of the 15th of April, with the design of surprising the 
enemy. He began his march in two columns ; but his men, having 



England? What of the effect of his progrress? 9. Why did he retreat? 10. What of 
the prince? What of the conduct of the Scotch troops? 
CXCIX. — 1. In what battle was the prince victorious? In what was he defeated? 



382 CRUELTIES PRACTISED BY THE VICTORS. 

been under arms all the night before, were many of them overpow- 
ered by sleep and weariness. Many fell down from fatigue, and 
were unable to proceed. It now became absolutely necessary to 
abandon the intended attack, and to retreat. 

3. When they got back to Culloden, the poor wearied soldiers lay 
down on the bare heath and slept ; but they were soon roused from 
their repose by some of their companions, who had lain down by the 
way during the retreat, and who, having been awakened by the 
noise of the English army, which was advancing, had hastened to 
inform the prince of its approach. The king's troops came in sight 
about noon, and, in less than half an hour from the first firing, the 
army of Charles was totally defeated. 

4. The dreadful cruelties practised upon the vanquished, by the 
orders of the Duke of Cumberland, made his name to be execrated 
throughout Scotland, and have fixed an indelible stain upon his 
memory. It is said that, in a district of nearly fifty miles round 
Lochiel, there was, in the course of a few days, neither house nor 
cottage, neither men nor beasts to be seen — so complete was the 
ruin, silence and desolation. 

5. The jails of England were now filled with prisoners. Many 
were executed, and many were transported to America. Lords Bal- 
merino, Kilmarnock, and Lovat, and Mr. Eadcliffe, who were the 
principal persons concerned, were carried to London and executed. 
They were the last persons who suffered the punishment of behead- 
ing in England. Mr. Eadcliffe was a brother of that Lord Der- 
wentwater, who was out in 1716, as the Jacobites expressed the 
being concerned in open hostilities to the king. 

6. We must now return to the young prince, and give an account 
of his escape. He remained upon the field at Culloden as long as 
any hope remained of retrieving the battle, and then rode off, at- 
tended by a few friends. The safety of all required that these should 
part company, and conceal themselves as they best could from the 
soldiers, who scattered themselves over the country in pursuit of 
Charles, with an eagerness much increased by the enormous reward 
offered for his capture. 

7. During the next five months the prince wandered among the 
Highlands,"owing his preservation to the fidelity of the poor inhab- 
itants, who concealed him in their huts and caves, at the risk of their 
own lives. There is an interesting account of a young lady who con- 
trived to assist him. Charles was desirous to go from the Isle of 
Lewis, where he had been some time concealed, to the Isle of Skye; 
but it was difficult to get there, on account of the troops who were 
yet on the watch for him. Miss Flora Macdonald offered to con- 
duct him, if he would put on woman's clothes and pass for her maid. 

8. The prince readily agreed, and assumed the name and dress of 
Betty Bourke, an Irish girl. He embarked with Flora in an open 
boat, and they landed safely at Skye. After they reached this place, 
they had some distance to walk ; and the prince, who was very tall, 

Rolate the particulars of that of Culloden. 4. What of the conduct of the victors? 6, 
7, 8. Relate the adventures of the prince from the battle of Culloden till his arrival at 



ADVENTURES OF PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD. 



388 



and looked excessively awkward in woman's clothes, drew the at- 
tention of every one who passed, and was every moment in danger 
of being discovered. At last they arrived at Kingsborough, a house 
belonging to one of the clan of Macdonalds. 




ESCAPE OF THE PllETENDEE. 

9. Here the prince enjoyed the luxury of lying on a bed, a pleasure 
which he had not experienced for many weeks; and he slept so 
soundly that he did not awake till the middle of the following day. 
They then pi'oceeded to Portree ; but before they reached that place 
the prince changed his dress, and, putting on a Highland plaid and 
a Scotch bonnet over his wig, was metamorphosed from Betty Bourke 
into a stout Highlander. Here he parted with his female guide, and 
was conducted by Malcolm Macloud to his home at Rasay. 

10. He was there concealed in a small hut, with a bed of dry 
heather to lie on ; and it was with dithculty that provisions were 
procured for him. Even this wretched place was not one of safety, 
so they returned to Skye, and, landing at Strath, took shelter in a 
cow-house. After remaining at Skye for a short time, they passed 
over to the mainland. During the time Charles was with Macloud, 
he passed for a servant of that gentleman, and the better to dis- 
guise himself he tied a handkerchief over his head, put a nightcap 
over that, and tore the ruffles of his shirt, to make his appearance 
more shabby. 

11. He was afterwards concealed for nearly six weeks in a cave 
where seven Highlanders had previously taken refuge. While he 
was there he lived on the venison whicli these men contrived to kill 
by night. Being at length obliged to quit this concealment, he and 
his new associates made their escape into the mountains by walking 



Kingsborough. 9. Till he left Skye. 11. Till he leaves Scotland. 13. What of his 



384 STYLE OF DRESS IN GEORGE II.'s TIME. — ] 727-1760. 

along the rocky channel of a torrent. In the course of their journey, 
Charles became so exhausted for want of food, and fatigue, that he 
could walk no further; and two of the men carried him over the 
rugged paths to a place where their friends had provided food for 
them. 

12. On the 29th of August the prince reached a place of conceal- 
ment which had been prepared by him, and which was called the 
Cage, a habitation formed in the hollow of a small cluster of bushes, 
which grew out of a high rock. The floor was composed of trunks 
of trees, and was made level by having earth spread on it. The 
trees which grew at the sides were interwoven with ropes, made of 
heath, and the top was thatched with long grass. 

13. This singular dwelling was large enough to contain seven 
persons, and here the prince, with Cameron of Lochiel, stayed till 
September 13th, when he received information that two French 
ships had arrived ofi' the coast. He got on board one of them, but 
his dangers were not yet over, for British ships guarded all the 
neighboring seas. Under shelter of a dense fog he passed through 
the midst of the enemy's squadron, and on the 2yth of September, 
1746, landed safely in France. 

14. He was so worn out by the fatigues and hardships he had 
undergone, that he was scarcely to be known as tlie same handsome 
and sprightly youth, who had left France, full of animation and 
hope, the year before. By the terms of a general peace, made at 
Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, Louis withdrew his protection from the 
Stuart fiimily, who retired to Rome. The young pretender long 
kept up a secret correspondence with the Jacobites in England, 
and once, if not oftener, he came privately to London. 

15. As he advanced in years, his character underwent a great 
change for the worse, and his friends abandoned his cause in dis- 
gust. He took the name of Count d' Albany, and died in 1784, 
leaving no children. His brother. Cardinal York, who then became 
the sole representative of the royal house of Stuart, died at a very 
advanced age, in 1807, and with him the family became extinct. 



CHAPTER CC. 



The Style of Dress in George II.'s Time. — 0/ the Farmer'' s Festival.— 
Old Style and New Style. — New-year's Day changed. 

1. In noticing the changes of dress, we may remark that the long 
flowing wigs of the preceding age had now given place to a snug 
kind of tie-wig ; but in other respects the style of dress had by no 

voyage to France? 14. What of his appearauce? 15. Relate the remaining particulars 
about the Stuart family. 



CUSTOMS AMONG THE COUNTRY PEOPLE. 385 

means improved. Ladies wore very long waists, and laced so tight 
that they suffered great pain from their endeavors to acquire what 
they esteemed a fine shape. 

2. They also wore such enormous hoops, that they could not, 
without difficulty, go through a moderately wide doorway ; and their 
heads and shoulders looked as if they were rising out of a tub. The 
gown was commonly of rich silk, ornamented with a variety of trim- 
mings. The head was dressed exceedingly high, and the hair drawn 
tight oft* the face. At the elbows hung long ruffles, something like 
the ears of a poodle dog, which were often catching fire at the can- 
dles, or dipping in the dishes at table. 

3. It may be well to give a particular description of the dress of 
a lady of fashion in the early part of the last century. In the first 
place, she had on a black silk petticoat, trimmed with a red and 
white calico border, and a cherry-colored bodice, trimmed with blue 
and silver. She wore, in addition, a yellow satin apron, and a train 
of dove-colored silk, brocaded with large trees. The ladies appear 
to have been as stiff' and formal in their intercourse with one 
another, as in their style of dress. 

4. As for the gentlemen, those at least who lived in towns, they 
generally spent their evenings at clubs and coffee-houses ; and drinking 
was so much the custom amongst them, that they rarely met without 
becoming intoxicated. A foreigner, who visited London about the 
end of the reign of George I., has given us the following account of 
his way of spending his time there : " We rise by nine, and either 
attend great men's levees, or tea-tables, till about eleven or twelve, 
the fashionable folks assemble in several chocolate and coffee-houses. 

5. " We are carried to these places in sedan chairs. If it be fine, 
we take a turn in the park till two, when we go to dinner with a 
party at the tavern, where we sit till six, and then go to the play. 
After the play the best company commonly go to Tom's or Will's 
coffee-houses, and spend the time till midnight in conversation, 
cards or politics ; but party runs so high here that whigs and tories 
have each their coffee-houses, and would not, on any account, be 
seen at any other. If you like the company of the ladies, there are 
assemblies at most houses of people of quality." 

6. Among the country people a variety of pleasant customs pre- 
vailed a century ago, which have now almost disappeared. Among 
the happiest was the festival of harvest-home. This merry-making 
was common throughout England, but different ceremonies were 
observed in different places, though everywhere they ended with a 
good feast at the house of the proprietor of the land, to which all 
the neighbors, as well as the laborers on the farm, were heartily 
welcomed. In England the farms are generally large, and a great 
many laborers, both male and female, are employed upon them. 

7. In some places, the last handful of grain reaped in the field 
was called the maiden. It was contrived that this should fall into the 



(JC.— 1. What cliango in head-dress? What of the dress of ladies? 3. Give a de- 
scription of a lady's dress at the beginning of the last century. 4, 5. What of the 
manners of the gentlemen? 6. What festival was observed by the farmers? 10. What 
33 



386 " OLD STYLE " AND " NEW STYLE." 

bands of one of the most comely lasses in the field, who became the 
queen of the coming feast. The maiden, gayly decorated with rib- 
bons, was placed on the top of the last load of grain which left the 
field, the wagon itself being gayly decked with flowers and ribbons, 
and was thus borne home in triumph, with music and shouting. 

8. There, to use the language of an old poet, 

" For your mirth, 

You shall see, first, the large and chief 
Foundation of your feast, fat beef; 
With upper stories, mutton, veal, 
And bacon, which makes full the meal. 
With several dishes standing by, 
And here a custard, there a pie. 
And here all-tempting furmety." 

9. Dancing and various mirthful games succeeded, in which the 
good man of the house and his wife took part. At the close of the 
festivities, the maiden is hung up in some conspicuous part of the 
farm-house, where it remains till the next year, and it would be 
esteemed a very unlucky omen if any accident should happen to it. 

10. The young reader may have been puzzled with the words 
"old style" and "new style," affixed to dates; it may be well, 
therefore, to explain their meaning. Julius Csesar, the Roman gen- 
eral, caused some calculations to be made to determine the length 
of the year. These calculations made it three hundred and sixty- 
five days and six hours. But the increased knowledge of astronomy 
has enabled the modern scientific men to ascertain that this reckon- 
ing was eleven minutes too much. 

11. In the lapse of time, these eleven minutes accumulated to 
eleven days. In the year 1572, Pope Gregory XIII. corrected this 
error, and reduced the year to its exact length. The reader will 
learn elsewhere how he guarded against a recurrence of the error. 
The pope made use of his power to secure the adoption of the new or 
Gregorian style, in all the Catholic countries of Europe, but Eng- 
land, Sweden, and Russia still retained the old or Julian style. 

12. The English merchants found it a great inconvenience to use 
a different mode of computing time from their foreign correspond- 
ents, and. the hatred of the pope, which had led to the retention of 
this error for so long a time after it was pointed out, having in a 
great degree subsided, in 1752, the British parliament ordered the 
new style to be adopted in England. The eleven days were taken 
out of September ; the day after the 2d of September being called 
the 14th, instead of the 3d. The year, also, which, till that time, 
had been reckoned to begin at the 25th of March, has since been 
computed from the 1st of January. 

is tlie old sti/le and nnv style? 12. AVliPii was the Now Style adopted in England? IIow 
was the change efl'ected? What other ch;iiiire was made? 



THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR. — 1755. 387 



CHAPTER CCI. 

The Seven Yeari War. — General Washington gains his first Laurels. 
— Capture of Quebec, and Death of General Wolfe. — Lord Clive 
extends the British Empire in India. — Death of George 11. — About 
Sir Robert Walpole. 

1. The peace which had been made at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, 
continued till 1755, when the encroachment of the French upon what 
were then British colonies, and are now the United States, led to a 
war, which entirely involved all Europe, and is often called the Seven 
Years' War. It was in this that General Washington first distin- 
guished himself, though then very young, by his prudent conduct 
in an expedition sent out to act against the French, who were en- 
deavoring to connect their settlements in Canada and Louisiana by 
a chain of forts in the rear of the English colonies. 

2. The operations of the war were at first very unfavorable to the 
English. The ministry were divided in opinion, and very inefii- 
cient. The man of all others most competent to conduct the affairs 
of the nation was William Pitt; but his political principles were too 
liberal to suit the king, and it was not till the will of the people was 
too loudly expressed to be any longer disregarded, that George con- 
sented to commit the reins of government to his hands. 

3. A decisive change now took place in the fortunes of the war ; 
Canada was entirely subdued, and the French power annihilated in 
that part of the American continent. This was not effected, how- 
ever, without the loss of one of the most popular and distinguished 
commanders whom the English ever had to boast of; namely. Gen- 
eral Wolfe, who was killed in the moment of victory at the siege of 
Quebec, in 1759. 

4. Upon the continent of Europe, the war was carried on by Eng- 
land with only Frederick, King of Prussia, commonly called Frederick 
the Great, for its ally, against all the other powers combined. But 
the sagacity and military skill of Frederick, and the energy of Mr. 
Pitt, enabled her to sustain with success the apparently unequal 
contest. Hanover, which, in the beginning of the war, had been 
conquered by the French, was recovered, and the King of Prussia 
established its position as one of the first-rate powers of Europe. 
The principal battle was that of Minden. fought August 1st, 1759, 
in which the English and Prussians defeated the French. 

5. In the East, Lord Clive, who had rapidly risen, by the force 
of his own abilities, from the humble situation of clerk to that of 
commander-in-chief of the forces, laid the foundations of the British 
empire in India. Upon the ocean the British flag was completely 

CCI. — 1. How long did peace continue? What occasioned the renewal of war? Who 
distinguished himself for the first time in this war? 2. What of the success of the war 
on the part of England? What change in the ministry ? 3. What change followed in 
the fortunes of the war? What of General Wolfe? 4. What of the war upon the conti- 
nent of Europe? What was the principal battle ? 5. What affairs in the east? 6. When 



388 DEATH OF GEORGE II. 1760. 

triumphant. la the midst of these successes, the king, without any 
previous complaint, was suddenly seized with the agonies of death. 
He had hitherto enjoyed a degree of health and bodily vigor very 
unusual at his advanced age, and which seemed to give the promise 
of a much longer life. 

6. On the 25th of October, 1760, he rose at his usual hour, and 
observed to his attendants, that, as the morning was fine, he would 
walk in the garden. He was still at the window, observing the 
weather, when he fell to the ground, and almost immediately expired. 
He was in the seventy-seventh year of his age, and the thirty-fourth 
of his reign. During the whole time he was upon the throne, po- 
litical contests were carried on with great animosity. The most 
distinguished political leaders were Robert Walpole, Sir William 
Wyndham, Mr. Pelham, Sir William Pulteney, and Mr. Pitt. 

7. Sir Robert Wal})ole was the prime minister during the first 
lialf of this reign. He made use of very disreputable means to 
keep himself in office. Since the revolution of 1688, England has 
been essentially a free government, and no man can sustain him- 
self in office as minister, unless his measures are approved by a 
majority of the votes of the house of commons, who are in theory 
the representatives of the people of England. 

8. To secure to himself this majority, Walpole made a most liberal 
distribution of money and offices, a mode of retaining power which 
cannot forever be successful, since all who are venal will oppose for 
the very purpose of being bought over; and to the minister's means 
there must be a limit. And so Sir Robert found, for, in 1742, he 
was forced to resign. He was, however, made Earl of Orford. 

9. One great cause of the popular discontent against Walpole, was 
his taking the king's part in a quarrel between his majesty and his son 
Frederick, Prince of Wales. We do not know the original cause of 
this quarrel, but it was conducted with such animosity on the king's 
part, as to excite the sympathy of the people, with whom the prince 
was very popular, on account of his estimable qualities. He did not 
live to be king, but died in 1751, leaving many children. 

FAMILY OF GEORGE II. 

WIFE. 

Caroline of Anspach. 

CHILDEEN. 
Frederick, Prince of Wales, died in 1751. 
William, Duke of Cumberland, died in 1765. 
Anne, married the Prince of Orange. 
Amelia, died in 1786. 
Caroline, died in 1757. 

Mary, married the Prince of Hesse-Cassel. 
Louisa, married the King of Denmark. 

did George IT. die? What was his age? How long had he reigned? Who were the 
chief political leaders in his reign ? 7. What of Sir Robert Walpole ? 9. What of Fred- 
erick, Prince of Wales? 



GEORGE III. — 1760. 389 

FAMILY OF FREDERICK, PRINCE OF WALES. 

WIFE. 

Princess of Saxe-Gotha. 

CHILDREN. 

George, who succeeded his grandfather. 

Edward, Duke of York, died in 1767. 

William Henry, Duke of Gloucester. 

Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland. 

Frederick William, died young. 

Augusta, married the Duke of Brunswick. 

Caroline, died in 1759. 

Louisa, died in 1768. 

Matilda, married the King of Denmark. 



CHAPTER CCIL 

George III.— The Quiet of the Country disturbed bij Political Contests. 
— John Wilkes. — Passage of the Stamp Act results in the Indepen- 
dence of the United States. 

1. George, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, had completed his 
twenty-second year, when the death of his grandfather placed him 
on the throne. He was tall, his features well formed, his complexion 
fair, and his countenance open and cheerful, with a great expression 
of goodness. As his parents had been on ill terms with George II., 
the young prince had been in a manner excluded from court, and 
not interfering in any of the political parties of the day, he had led 
a retired life, associating with a small, but select circle. 

2. This was, in some respects, a disadvantage to him, as it gave 
him an awkward and diffident manner, which an earlier introduction 
to general society might have remedied. His usual way of speaking 
was hurried and confused ; but when called upon to speak in public, 
it was quite graceful, for his father, though he neglected other parts 
of his education, had caused him to be well instructed in the art of 
declamation, by Quin, a celebrated actor. The king's first speech 
being much applauded for grace and distinctness of utterance, Quin 
exclaimed, with great glee, " I taught the boy." 

3. The chief characteristic of his mind was obstinacy ; and the 
pertinacity with which he maintained his opinions was the occasion 
of much injury to his country. He had no great or brilliant quali- 
ties ; but he had many good ones. He was kind and charitable ; 
his greatest happiness was in the tranquillity of domestic life : and 
he was anxious to fulfil his duties to his fiimily with fidelity. 

4. He was a truly religious man, and there are many anecdotes re- 
lated of him illustrative of this. In some cases his conduct might be 

ecu.— 1. What of George III.'s person ? What of his education ? What of his Btyle 
of speaking? 3. What of his character? 4. What anecdote of his religious feeling? 

33* 



390 THE PEACE OF PARIS. — 1763. 

imputed to affectation, were it not that we know his humility to have 
been genuine. Soon after he came to the throne, a clergyman intro- 
duced some high panegyrics upon him, in a sermon preached in his 
presence. The next day, the king sent a message to the preacher, 
desiring him to forbear doing so for the future ; adding that he went 
to church to hear God praised, and not himself. 

5. In the prayer-book, which he was accustomed to use in private, 
he scratched out the words " sovereign lord," before his own name, 
and wrote instead, " thy servant," and in another place he put the 
word "sinner." The number of marked passages in his Bible 
showed that he was a diligent student of it. He married, August 
7th, 1761, Charlotte, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The last 
service which the veteran admiral. Lord Anson, performed, was that 
of bringing the new queen to England. 

6. The accession of George III. caused no alteration in public 
affairs ; the war was continued with vigor, though the nation had 
become weary of the great expense of carrying it on. It would be 
impossible for us to give an account of all the events of this busy 
period, or even to select the most important. It must suffice for us 
now to say, that the British arms were everywhere successful. Several 
valuable West India islands were taken from France; and the rich 
town of Havana in Cuba, and the Philippine Isles in the East In- 
dies, were taken from Spain. 

7. France and Spain at length became desirous of peace, which 
was concluded at Paris, February 10th, 1763. By this treaty, Can- 
ada was definitely ceded to Great Britain, but in most other respects 
the countries were restored, as to territory, to the condition they 
were in before the war. So far, nothing could be more prosperous 
than the new reign. The country was manifestly increasing in 
wealth and power. But the internal peace of the empire was soon 
disturbed. 

8. This was occasioned in no small degree by the obstinacy of the 
king in maintaining his own views, and in supporting those minis- 
ters who agreed with him in opinion. Though averse to the pomp 
of royalty, he was fond of the power, and could not bear any attack 
upon the dignity or prerogatives of the crown. The first open ex- 
pression of public discontent was in behalf of John Wilkes, who 
was a man of considerable ability, but of profligate character. 

9. Soon after the accession of George III. to the throne, Mr. Pitt 
had retired from office, receiving as a reward for his services the 
title of Earl of Chatham. The new ministers were taken from 
the tory party. The names of whig and tory were still retained, 
though some change had taken place in the principles of the parties. 
The tories were for maintaining everything as it was ; whilst the 
whigs were for making such alterations in the constitution of the 
country, as advanced civilization, and the increase of wealth, espe- 
cially among the mercantile and manufacturing classes, from time 
to time made necessary. 

5. Whom did he marry? 6. What of the war with Franco aud Spain? 7. When and 
where was peace concluded? 8. What disturbed tlie internal quiet of the kingdom? 



PASSAGE OF THE STAMP ACT. — 1765. 391 

10. There were many violent political writers on both sides ; but 
none so much so as Mr. Wilkes, who was a whig and a member of 
parliament. He published a periodical paper, called the North 
Briton ; and, in the forty-filth number, made a very violent attack 
upon Lord Bute and other persons, supposed to have an undue in- 
fluence with the king, and upon the government in general. Wilkes 
was arrested by order of the government, and committed to the 
Tower. But being brought before one of the courts of law by a 
writ of habeas corpus, he was discharged, upon the ground that his 
arrest was illegal. 

11. His arrest had produced a great excitement; it was consid- 
ered as a violation of the freedom of the press; he was looked upon 
as a martyr to liberty ; and the cry of " Wilkes and liberty !" was 
long the watchword of the popular party. Whilst affairs were 
quite in a disturbed state at home, an act of the ministry threw the 
North American colonies into a state of convulsion. The taxes 
levied for the support of the wars bore very heavily upon the 
peojjle of Great Britain ; and to ease them of the burden, it was 
resolved to levy taxes ujion the colonies. 

12. The act for this purpose, which levied a duty upon stamped 
paper, and forbade the importation of any other into the colonies, 
was passed by parliament. The events which followed the passage 
of the Stamp Act, and which led at last to the independence of 
thirteen of the North American colonies, forming a part of the 
history of our own country, are doubtless familiar to our readers, 
and need not be detailed here. 



CHAPTER CCIII. 

What the English People thought of the War with America. — Death 
of the Earl of Chatham. — Great Mobs in London. — Instance of 
British Generosity at the Siege of Gibraltar. — Peace of Versailles. — 
John Adams' first Intervietv with the King. 

1. The English people were very much divided in opinion as to 
the justice and exijediency of taxing the American colonies. A con- 
siderable portion were decidedly opposed to it. At the head of the 
opponents was the eloquent Earl of Chatham, who defended the 
ground taken by the colonists, that as they were not represented in 
the British parliament, they could not be justly taxed by that body. 

2. But when the war was actually commenced, Chatham was in 
favor of maintaining it with vigor, and of sending at once to the 



9. What of the parties of whig and tory ? 10. How did Wilkes give ofl'ence? 11. What 
followed his arrest? What measures did the government adopt to raise money? What 
was the consequence of the Stamp Act? 
CCIII.— 1. What were the opinions of the English people about taxing America? 



392 SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS. — 1781. 

colonies a force large enough to put down the so-called rebels. 
But the ministry, who underrated the strength of the colonists, 
thought that a small body of regular, well-disciplined troops, under 
experienced and veteran ofhcers, would be quite sufficient to cope 
with a raw militia, commanded by men who knew nothing of war 
from actual experience. 

3. The surrender of the British general Burgoyne, and his army, 
in 1777, produced a great excitement in England. Some persons 
then were for abandoning the attempt to reduce the colonies to 
obedience, and this opinion gained strength when it was found that 
a continuance of the contest would involve England in a war with 
France, whose government had now openly assumed the part of the 
colonists. But the king would not consent to relinquish so large a 
part of his dominions, so long as any hope remained of being able 
to retain it. 

4. In this he was sustained by the Earl of Chatham, who, on the 
2d of April, 1778, appeared in the house of lords to oppose a motion 
for the withdrawal of the troojis from America. Though he was 
suffering from severe illness, and unable to walk without assistance, 
he made one of the most animated and eloquent speeches that had 
ever been heard in that house. Venerable for his years and expe- 
rience, and regarded as the first statesman of the age, his urgent 
appeal to his countrymen to make one more effort, made a deep 
impression upon all present. 

f). He was answered by the Duke of Richmond, and Chatham 
rose again, with a countenance animated with disdain, and eager 
to reply ; but the excitement was too great for his feeble frame, and 
while lie was attemi)ting to speak, he sank down on the floor, and 
was carried out of the house apparently lifeless. He revived, but it 
was only to linger out a few weeks longer. His death, under these 
circumstances, made a great impression throughout the whole 
country. He was honored with a sumptuous funeral at the jjublic 
expense, and every jwssible respect was shown to his memory. 

(j. In the month of June, 1780, London was thrown into conster- 
nation by the violence of a mob, which had taken an alarm in respect 
to Popery. This mob, which was excited chiefly by Lord George 
Gordon, a gloomy fanatic, had the control of the city for several 
days, during which they burnt several Roman Catholic chapels, 
and destroyed many private dwellings. The greatest loss which 
the public sustained, was by the destruction of the manuscripts of 
the Earl of Mansfield, the most distinguished lawyer of his time; 
he had made himself obnoxious by the part which he had taken, as 
a judge, in sustaining prosecutions for libels against the government. 

7. In the month of October, 1781, Lord Cornwallis, one of Brit- 
ain's ablest generals, surrendered himself and his whole army to Gen- 
eral Washington. From this time, it was apparent to every one that 
the subjugation of the American colonies could not be any longer ex- 
pected. Spain and Holland had become the active allies of the United 

What of the Karl of Chatham ? 2. How was the war conducted by the ministry ? 4, 5. 
Relate the particulars of Chatham's last appearance in parliament. 6. What of tlio 



INDEPENDENCE OF THE U. S. ACKNOWLEDGED. — 1783. 393 

States. Eussia, Sweden, and Denmark were united in what was 
called an armed neutrality, and were indirectly assisting the enemies 
of England. 




RIOTS IN LONDON. 

8. The British fleets, under Lord Rodney, kept the supremacy 
of the seas; and the defence of Gibraltar showed that the British 
troops had lost none of their courage. In the course of this de- 
fence, there was an exhibition of that humanity for which the 
English have always been distinguished. For two years the place had 
been blockaded by combined fleets of France and Spain, when, on 
the 13th of September, 1782, a grand attack was made by land and 
sea. The garrison, under General Elliot, consisted of seven thou- 
sand men, whilst the assailing force amounted to forty thousand. 

9. The firing on both sides was continued furiously through the 
day; but the garrison perceived, as night approached, that the 
enemy's cannonading abated, and could see that the whole fleet 
was in commotion, and that some of the ships had taken fire. 
The darkness of the night was soon dispelled by the flames arising 
from the burning vessels ; and the cries and groans of the Spaniards 
on board of them were dreadful beyond description. 

10. Amidst this scene of horror. General Curtis and Sir Charles 
Knowles, assisted by a body of marines, ventured to the rescue of 
these miserable men, whom they now no longer considered as enemies, 
but as suffering fellow-creatures ; and they succeeded, though with 
imminent hazard to themselves, in saving many of them from the 
dangers by which they were surrounded. A few days after this 
attack. Lord Howe arrived with a fleet to the relief of the place. 

11. In 1783, peace was concluded between all the belligerent 



mobs in 1780? 7. What was the " armed neutrality" ? 8, 9, 10. What of the siege of Gib- 
raltar? 11. Wlien was peace made ? What of the king's interview with John Adams? 



394 DISTINGUISHED WRITERS AND POETS OF THE TIME. 

powers. England acknowledged the independence of the United 
States, and gave up to France and Sjjain various lands and posses- 
sions in different parts of the globe. The United States, after the 
ratification of the treaty, sent John Adams, who, next to Washing- 
ton, had acted the most prominent part in the revolution, as envoy 
to the British court. 

12. The king looked forward with considerable anxiety to his first 
interview with this distinguished rebel, and declared to some of his 
attendants that he viewed it as one of the most critical moments of 
his Ufe. He received the envoy, however, most graciously, and 
said to him, " I was the last man in the kingdom, sir, to consent to 
the independence of America ; but now it is granted, I shall be the 
last man in the kingdom to' sanction a violation of it." 



CHAPTER CCIV. 

The Writers of the Reign of George IL, and the early part of that of 
George III. — The most distinguished Poets. — Dr. Johnson. — A new 
form of Novel and Eo7nance introduced. — Magazines and Reviews 
make their first appearance. 

1. As we are now approaching a new era in English literature, 
we must say something of the epoch which is drawing to a close. 
During no period had England produced so many men of letters as 
during the fifty years comprised in the reign of George IL, and 
part of that of his successor; yet it exhibited very little of original- 
ity or vigor. The great reputation of Pope and his contemporaries 
overawed the poets of the next half century, who wrote in servile 
imitation of those whose works had already the sanction of public 
applause. 

2. Something, doubtless, is to be attributed to the state of society, 
which, during the same period, was dainty, formal, and pedantic ; 
a very natural transition from the ease and licentiousness which 
prevailed in the reign of Charles II. The collected editions of the 
British poets contain the works of upwards of seventy persons who 
wrote during the period of which we are now S2:)eaking. But very 
few of these are worthy of notice. 

3. The first, in point of time, is Edward Young, who died in 
1765. His best work is the Night Thoughts, a serious poem, con- 
taining many passages of sublime expression, and of striking 
imagery, as well as much bombast and affectation. The most popu- 
lar poet of this period was James Thomson, who died in 1748. 
He was by birth a Scotchman, but removed to London at an early 
age, where he published a series of poems, called The Seasons, de- 
scribing, in blank verse, the various appearances of the year, in a 
very rich and eloquent, and often sublime style of language. 

CCIV.— 1. What of literature duriiif; the reign of George II. and the succeeding years? 
3. What of Young? What of Thomson? 6. What of Gray and Collins? What of 



DISTINGUISHED WRITERS AND POETS OF THE TIME. 395 

4. Thomson's father was a clergyman, with a small salary and a 
large family, so that he could furnish his son with but a stinted 
outfit. The poet took with him, however, letters of recommenda- 
tion to several persons of consequence, which he tied up carefully in 
his handkerchief; but as he passed along the streets of London, with 
the gaping curiosity of a country lad, his attention was upon every- 
thing rather than "his pocket, and his magazine of credentials was 
stolen from him. 

5. For the supply of his necessities, his whole fund was his poem 
of Winter, and he was sadly in want of a pair of shoes. After a 
long time he succeeded in finding a purchaser for his treasure, but 
at a very low price; and the purchaser for some time thought he 
had made a foolish bargain ; but the merits of the poem becoming 
known by accident, the sale became rapid, and Thomson's reputa- 
tion was established. 

6. Gray, who died in 1771, and Collins, who died in 1756, are 
distinguished for writing lyrical poems, which originally meant 
poems intended to be sung accompanied by the harp. The most 
celebrated piece of the former is tlie Elegy in a Country Church- Yard, 
and of the latter, the Ode to the Passions. Mark Akenside, who 
died in 1770, at the age of twenty-three years, published a poem 
called the Pleamres of the Imagination, a work full of fine imagery, 
expressed in rich, copious, and musical language. 

7. Oliver Goldsmith, who died in 1774, was born in Ireland, but 
spent the greater part of liis mature life in London. Of all the 
poets of this period, his works are, perhaps, the most read at the 
present day. His chief poems are the Deserted Village, and the 
Traveller. He was also a very popular prose writer, and has strong 
claims upon the regard of all young persons ; for he was the author 
of various histories — of Rome, Greece, England, &c. — and of the 
natural history, which have afibrded them so much pleasure and in- 
struction. 

8. Samuel Johnson, who died in 1784, wrote verses. But he was 
more admired for his prose writings. His style, though elegant and 
pure, is more majestic than suits the taste of the present age. He 
published a periodical paper, called the Rambler, in which he some- 
times condescends to treat of common things, but in the same sol- 
emn language which he uses in moralizing on the awful destinies of 
man. TJie Lives of the Poets, which were written to be prefixed to 
a collection of the poets of Great Britain, is perhaps the best of his 
productions. His dictionary, though now considered too limited, 
is still referred to as of the highest authority. 

9. Fictitious tales in prose, by the title of romances and novels, 
had long been known in France and Italy, and had been imitated 
in England. But they were quite different from the works known 
at the present day by the same names. The first example of the 
modern English romance, was the Castle of Otranto, published in 1764, 
by Horace Walpole, a son of the celebrated minister, Sir Robert. 



Akenside? 7. What of Goldsmith? S. What of Johnson? 9. What was the first 
example of modern romance writing? Wlien published, and by whom composed? 



396 DISTINGUISHED WRITERS AND POETS OF THE TIME. 

This was full of horrors, and was so popular as to call forth a host 
of imitators. 

10. In 1739, Samuel Eichardson, a printer in London, being 
remarkable for his expertness in letter-writing, was requested by two 
booksellers to write a volume of letters, referring to the common con- 
cerns of life, for the improvement of persons of ordinarj^ education. 
He thought the work might be more lively and interesting, if the 
letters were made to narrate a story. Thus was produced the novel 
of Pamela, a work so vastly superior in style and in its moral tend- 
ency to all which had preceded it, that it obtained a great reputa- 
tion, and was even recommended by tlie clergy from the pulpit. 

11. Encouraged by this success, Richardson commenced with a 
more elaborate novel, called Clarissa Harlowe, four volumes of which 
were published in 1748, leaving the story unfinished. This work 
excited the greatest interest, both in England and on the continent, 
and the comfort of the reading world seemed to depend upon the 
result of the story. A report got a])road that it was to end tragic- 
ally; when remonstrances poured in upon the author from all quar- 
ters, entreating him to reward the virtue of the heroine. It is said 
that the work was intended to fill twenty-eight volumes, but was 
finally reduced to eight. 

12. We cannot, of course, mention all who were eminent in every 
branch of literature ; we can only speak of those who originated any 
])articular form of composition, or who were most eminent in it. 
Many gained celebrity as philosophical writers. They were, how- 
ever, chiefly natives of Scotland, in which coimtry great attention 
was paid, at this period, to English literature ; and societies were 
formed to encourage not only the writing, but the speaking of pure 
English. 

13. The success of these efforts is made apparent by the historical 
works of Hume and Robertson, which not only excited a taste for 
historical reading in England, but also a desire in literary men to 
rival them. To the former we are indebted for much of the interest- 
ing matter of our present story ; Hume's History of England was 
the first example of the highest kind of historical writing in English 
literature. Though defective in style, and not so complete as to 
facts as some which have succeeded it, its great merits will probably 
enable it to retain the first place for a long time to come. 

14. Hume's history only comes down to the revolution in 1688; 
and so much of Smollett's History of England as embraces the 
period between that event and the death of George II., is usually 
published with it; being better than any other, though vastly infe- 
rior to Hume. Edwai'd Gibbon, who died in 1794, was the author 
of a Tlistorg of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; a work 
which takes rank with those of Hume and Robertson. 

15. We must mention one more class of works which made its 
appearance for the first time during this period. In 1731, Edward 
Cave, a printer, commenced a publication called the Gentleman's 



10. WhoD, and by whom, was the first novel of the modern kind composed? 13, 14. 
Who were the most distinguished historians of this period ? 15. Wlien did the first maga- 



ATTEMPT TO MURDER THE KING. 



-1787. 



397 



Magazine, being, as the name magazine was intended to express, a 
depository of the principal discussions and intelligence contained 
in the newspapers during the preceding month. This work, which 
met with great success, soon became open to original articles of a 
literary character. 

16. The success of the Gentleman's Magazine, led to the estab- 
lishment of many others, but none, for a long period, possessed so 
much merit as this, which has been continued without interruption 
to the present day. The first periodical work devoted to the criti- 
cism of books, was commenced in 1749, and was called the Monthly 
Review. This review took the whig side in politics, and to counter- 
act its influence, the tories, in 1756, established the Critical Review, 
under the direction of Smollett, of whom we have already spoken as 
an historian ; and who likewise gained much distinction as a mis- 
cellaneous writer, and more as a writer of novels. 



CHAPTER CCV. 

Attempts to murder the King. — The King loses his Reason, but it is re- 
stored to him. — The younger Pitt. — Duties of the King's Ministers. 




MAllGAKET NICHOLSON'S ATTACK UPON THE KING. 

1. Though George III. never evinced any disposition to engage 
personally in war, it was not because he was deficient in courage. 



zines make their appearance? Whence the name magazine? 16. What of Reviews ? 
34 



398 INSANITY OF GEORGE III. — 1788. 

for he exhibited this quality on many occasions much more trying 
tlian amid the excitements of the field of battle. In 1787, an at- 
tempt was made on his life by a poor insane woman, named Margaret 
Nicholson, who, while she was with one hand presenting a petition, 
attempted with the other to stab him with a knife. 

2. She was instantly seized by the attendants; and the king, for- 
getful of the danger his own life had been in, only exclaimed, " Don't 
hurt the poor woman ; she must be mad." This, on inquiry, proved 
to be the case, and she was sent to a hospital. On another occasion 
he was shot at, and the ball passed through his carriage. His attend- 
ants were thrown into the utmost agitation, but the king continued 
tranquil, and said to them, " One is supposing this, and another is 
proposing that, forgetting that there is One above all, on whom alone 
we depend, and who disposes of all things." 

3. Notwithstanding these, and many other attempts upon his life, 
he never would take any precautions against danger, always saying 
that none he might take would secure him from the attempts of a 
determined assassin, and that he would not give up his custom of 
mixing freely, and without attendants, witli all ranks of people. In 
1788, tlie king sutfered a real calamity in the loss of his reason. It 
l)ecame necessaiy. therefore, to api)oint some person to act in his 
name during the continuance of the illness. 

4. The Prince of Wales, who was now twenty-six years old, was 
manifestly the most proper person who could be invested with this im- 
portant office. He had no fixed principles of any kind himself, but 
his friends and associates were the political opponents of the party 
now in power. When, therefore, his friends moved in parliament 
for his appointment on the ground of constitutional right, the min- 
istry opposed it on that ground, but allowed that it was proper and 
expedient, and offered to bestow it, but with many restrictions and 
limitations of power. 

5. Before the question could be settled between the two parties, 
tlie king recovered his reason, and of course the necessity for a regent 
— as the ])erson who governs the kingdom during any temporary 
incapacity of the king is called — was at an end. The 24th of Octo- 
l)er, 1788, w^as the last day on which, previous to his illness, the king 
had appeared in public ; and on the 28d of April folloAving, being 
then recovered, he went to St. Paul's Cathedral to return public 
thanks to God for his restoration to health and reason. 

6. He was attended by the royal family, and by an immense con- 
course of the nobility and of the people ; so that when the })rocession 
entered the church, it was crowded to excess. The scene is described 
as peculiarly impressive and interesting, and particularly so when 
the 6000 children from the charity schools, who were in the church, 
joined in the choruses of the psalms and anthems. 

7. The king's physicians did not deem it safe for him to engage at 
once in public business. He therefore indulged himself, more than 
he had before done, in the quiet enjoyment of domestic life. He loved 

CCV.— 1. What instances of the king's courage ? 3. What calamity did the king 
meet with in 1788 ? 4, 5. What is said of the appointment of a regent ? 7. What of 



WILLIAM PITT, THE YOUNGER. — 1783-1805. 899 

to have his family about him, and it is said to have been a very- 
pleasing sight to see the whole royal family, when they were in the 
bloom of youth, assembled, as they frequently were, round their 
parents. They made quite a party by themselves; for the king had 
thirteen children who lived to grow up. 

8. These children were all comely, and had open, cheerful coun- 
tenances. They enjoyed a privilege which seldom falls to the lot 
of princes, of being brought up under the eye of parents who set 
them the example of the most perfect family harmony. The queen 
was a woman of strong sense, and of superior acquirements. She 
was never popular, for her manners were cold and reserved. But 
as a wife and mother, her conduct was exemplary. She showed 
herself constantly averse to every kind of vice and immorality, and 
the character of her court was irreproachable. 

9. The king was very grateful to his prime minister for opposing 
the appointment of his son to be regent, with all the powers of a 
sovereign ; for, as we have already stated, he was very jealous of 
encroachments upon his royal prerogative, and he was, besides, dis- 
pleased not only with the political, but with the moral, conduct of 
his son. Such being the feeling of the king, the minister had, in- 
deed, merited his thanks, for it required no little firmness to opjjose 
the wishes of one who miglit, in the course of nature, at any 
moment become his sovereign. 

10. But William Pitt, who now held the office of first lord of the 
treasury, that is, of prime minister, was not a man to be deterred 
from the discharge of any duty by motives of personal interest. He 
was the second son of the Earl of Chatham, and is sometimes called 
the younger Pitt, to distinguish him from his illustrious father. 
He was appointed to the high office whicli he now held, in 1783, 
and retained it, with only one short interval, for twenty-two years. 

11. At the time of his appointment he was only twenty-four 
years old, but he had already exhibited his great ability and politi- 
cal sagacity as chancellor of the exchequer. By the constitution 
of Great Britain, all laws for raising money must have their origin 
in the house of commons ; the reason for which, is, that the greater 
part of the taxes are paid by those whom this house represents. 

12. It is one of the duties of the chancellor of the exchequer to 
propose the measures by which money is to be raised; he is, there- 
fore, always a member of the house of commons; not by right, but, 
as all other members are, in theory, by the election of the people. 
But suppose he should not be elected, we may ask what he would 
do then. This never happens, for if he loses his ejection in one 
place, he can i:)rocure it in another, either by bribing the voters, or 
by the influence of some political friend. 

13. There are many boroughs, as they are called, which have a 
right to send more than one member to parliament, and which are 
entirely under the control of some rich man. This abuse existed 
to a mucli greater extent formerly than now, for it was, in part, 
corrected by the Reform Bill, passed in 1832. 

bis domestic habits ? 8. "What of his children? 10,11. What of William Pitt? 12. What 



400 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. — 1789. 

14. The deciding as to the mode in which money shall be raised, 
is one of the most diftioult tilings a ministry has to perform. It 
must ultimately be raised by taxes, and the personal interests of 
some class or classes of persons must be affected by every tax that 
is imposed. 

15. Hence there will always be many objections made to every 
measure proposed. The chancellor of the exchequer has to answer 
all these objections; therefore, the most able commoner on the side 
of the party in power, is selected to till this oftice. He naturally 
becomes the spokesman of the ministry on all important occasions, 
and as the ministry usually has a majority of the members on its 
side, he is sometimes called " the leader of the house of commons." 

10. The prime minister sometimes chooses to hold this office him- 
self, in addition to that of the first lord of the treasury, who is not 
necessarily a peer. This was the case with William Pitt, who 
chose to defend the measures which, though nominally the acts of 
many ministers, were virtually his own, for he was the soul of the 
government. He did not possess the brilliant eloquence of his 
father, or of his great rivals for power and fame, Fox and Burke ; 
but he had the faculty of convincing, by the force of his arguments, 
which were always presented in the clearest manner, and in the 
most natural order. 

17. He governed the country during one of the most stormy 
periods in the liistory of the world; and brought her through it 
not only in safety, but with glory. George III. never disjilayed so 
much sagacity during his long reign, as in retaining him in power, 
in spite of the clamors of the opposite party, which were sometimes 
loud enough to have shaken the purpose of a less obstinate sovereign. 

r 



CHAPTER CCVI. 

The French Bevohdion breaks ouf. — Measures adopted by the other 
States of Europe in consequence of it. — What Effect the News pro- 
duced in England. — War between France and England. 

1. The repose which Europe now enjoyed was destined to be 
broken by an event which, while it gave joy to the lovers of lib- 
erty, struck terror into the hearts of the despotic rulers of Europe. 
In 1789, the French people, who had for centuries been subjected 
to the most grievous oppressions on the part of the nobles, asserted 
their natural rights. Their representatives assembled in conven- 
tion, abolished all royalty, Avith its attendant distinction of ranks, 
and established a republic. 

2. This proceeding was very alarming to the absolute kings of the 

of the office of chancellor of the exchequer? Why does it i-equire a man of abilities? 
15, 16, 17. What of Pitt's abilities? 
CCVI. — 1. What disturbefl the repose of Europe in 17S9? 2. What course was adopted 



DESTRUCTION OF THE BASTILE. — 1789. 401 

neighboring states. Their own subjects might be infected with a 
love of liberty ; so the sovereigns of Austria and Prussia deter- 
mined to put down this impudent attempt of an independent 
people to establish a government to their own liking, and for this 
purpose to march their armies into France. 

3. This was a very unwise measure; they should have remem- 
bered that their armies were not invincible; and that if they were 
beaten, the French conquerors might not content themselves with 
driving them out of their country, but might, in retaliation, become 
themselves invaders. In such case, the liberal principles they so 
much dreaded would come with infinitely greater force. Had they 
been wise, they would have left the French to settle their own 
affairs. . 

4. The people of France, indignant at this attempt of strangers 
to dictate to them a form of government, rushed with the greatest 
enthusiasm to repel the invaders, and did not stop in their victori- 
ous career till they had taken nearly the whole of the Austrian 
Netherlands. Such was the commencement of a war, which, with 
little intermission, ravaged Europe for above twenty years. 

5. We must now consider how the people of England were affected 
by the events which were taking place on the continent. The de- 
struction of the Bastile by the inhabitants of Paris first drew their 
attention to the efforts of the French people to redress their wrongs. 
This prison was a stone structure, which, in ancient times, had been 
a fortress to protect Paris from foreign aggressors, but for many cen- 
turies it had been used only as an instrument of domestic tyranny. 

6. A mere order from the king was sufficient to consign any per- 
son to this gloomy prison. This power was most shamefully abused, 
for not only were the orders against those who had committed the 
slightest offence in word, deed, or even in supposed thought, against 
the king or his fiivorites, but they were even made a source of reve- 
nue to these fiivorites, for they were sold to individuals to be used 
to gratify private malice and revenge. Thousands of victims had 
languished out their lives in this horrible abode. 

7. Its destruction, therefore, excited a feeling of joy amongst the 
English people, who heartily sympathized in the attempt of their 
neighbors to establish a more liberal form of government. But the 
sympathies of the king were for the royal family of France ; and, 
as Elector of Hanover, he entered into the views of the other sove- 
reigns of Europe. His prime minister, also, was a believer in the 
necessity of strong governments, as they are called, that is, govern- 
ments in which the chief power is permanently ])laced in the hands 
of one person. 

8. The French people were like Avild beasts who had long been 
subjected to cruel keepers, upon whom was now vented tlieir long 
pent-up rage. The sanguinary excesses committed by the mob, 
who at first ruled in France, excited the horror and fears of many 

by the other governmenta of Europe? 4. What was the consequence? 5. What event 
ilrew the attention of the people of England to French affairs ? 6. What of the French 
king's despotic power? 7. What feeling was first excited in England? What were the 
opinions of the Isiiig and of his prime minister? 8. What measure did the English gov- 

34* 



402 GLOOMY STATE OF AFFAIRS IN 1797. 

good people in England ; so that the king and his ministers were 
not without a party to support them in their refusal to recognize 
the new republic, or to receive its ambassador, — a measure which 
unavoidably led to war. 

9. This was declared by the French convention on the 1st of 
February, 1793. About the same time the French invaded Hol- 
land, and the Duke of York, the king's second son, was sent, with 
a considerable army under his command, to assist the Dutch. But 
he effected nothing, except to make a good retreat and a safe return 
to England in the following winter. Holland soon submitted, and 
a new state, called the Batavian Kepublic, was established, in 
alliance with France, whose victorious arms soon compelled the 
King of Prussia to sue for peace. 

10. England and Austria maintained the war for several years 
longer, but with such ill success on the part of the latter, that, in 
1797, she was compelled to accept such terms of peace as France 
would allow her. This success on the part of the French is to be 
a.scribed chiefly to Napoleon Bonaparte, a young Corsican, whose 
wonderful abilities had raised him from the rank of lieutenant of 
artillery to the command of the French army in Italy. The treaty 
between France and Austria was signed at Campo Formio, October 
1 7th, 1797. Thus England was left alone in the contest. 



CHAPTER CCVn. 

Gloomy State of Affairs in 1797. — The Bank of England suspends 
Payment. — Mutinies among the Seamen. 

1. The year 1797 was a gloomy period in England. The national 
finances, burdened with debts contracted to carry on former wars, 
seemed unequal to meet the expenses of a lengthened contest. The 
Bank of England, by orders of the government, stoj^ped the pay- 
ment of its notes in gold or silver, and j)aper became the only 
money in circulation. To add to the public distress, an alarming 
mutiny broke out among the sailors in the ships of war, who de- 
manded an increase of pay and amelioration of their condition, 
which was in truth worse than that of slaves. 

2. If they had entered into that service of their own accord, they 
would have had less reason in their complaints. But it was not so. 
Instead of inducing men to serve as sailors on board the ships of war 
by offering sufficient wages and kind treatment, the British govern- 
ment resorted to force to man her navy. A party of soldiers, with an 
officer, went about, seizing upon all persons who looked like sailors, or 
who the oflicer thought would make good seamen, and carried them by 

ernment adopt in reference to France? 9. What was the consequence? What of the 
success of the French as to Holland and Russia? 10. What of the war between Austria 
and France? By what treaty was it concluded ? When? 

CCVII. — 1. What is said of the year 1797 ? What events caused a depression of feel- 



MUTINIES AMONG BRITISH SEAMEN. 403 

force on board of a ship, where they were generally compelled to 
serve till death relieved them from oppression. 

3. The toils and sufferings of the sailor's life bear hardly enough 
upon those who adopt it from choice, and are habituated to its dan- 
gers from infancy. In addition to the ordinary perils of the sea, 
these impressed seamen were exposed to all the evils of war. We 
can conceive better than we can describe the feelings of men torn 
from their families without a moment's warning, and subjected to 
treatment which made the public ships so odious that sailors by 
profession carefully concealed themselves, when on shore, to avoid 
being pressed into them. 

4. In the month of April, the whole body of sailors in the grand 
fleet which guarded the British Channel, declared their determination 
no longer to submit to the officers, unless an increase of pay and a 
change in the regulations concerning provisions should be granted 
to them. A council, composed of two delegates from each ship, 
took command of the squadron. The consternation caused by this 
event was very great ; for the security of England from invasion de- 
pended mainly upon the fleet. 

5. It was deemed by government to be most expedient to accede 
to the required terms, and a bill was hastily passed through parlia- 
ment securing to the seamen what the ministers had promised. The 
delegates of the fleet declared themselves satisfied, and harmony and 
good order were restored. But the spirit of insurrection was 
contagious, and no sooner was it quelled in the Channel fleet, than 
it broke out in the ships lying at Sheerness and at Yarmouth. 

6. New grievances were required to be redressed, and the facility 
with which the demands of the Channel fleet had been granted, 
encouraged the present insurgents to make demands not quite so 
reasonable. The government now determined to yield no more, and 
made every disposition to force the ships to submission. Guards 
were placed to jirevent any communication between them and the 
shore, and no water or provisions was suffered to go to them. For 
a time, the mutineers were able to get a supply of these from mer- 
chant vessels which they seized. 

7. At length, being reduced to great want of water, and distrust 
prevailing among themselves, ship after ship deserted, until at last 
all came in and surrendered. The leaders were tried and executed. 
The ships were soon after ordered to sea, to watch the motions of a 
Dutch fleet, and any unfavorable impressions which might remain 
were effectually removed by the complete victory which they gained 
on the 11th of October; as a reward for which, Admiral JDuncan, 
the commander of the fleet, was raised to the peerage. 

hig in England!' 2. How were British ships of war supplied with men? 4. What was 
the consequence of the bad treatment of the seanieu? 5. What is said of the second mu- 
tiny? 7. What victory did Admiral Duncan gain? 



404 BONAPARTE RETURNS FROM EGYPT, — 1799. 



CHAPTER CCVIII. 

Bonaparte, after conquering Egypt, returns to France, of ivhich he be- 
comes the Ruler. — He leads his Army over the Alps, and defeats the 
Austrians in Italy. — E.vpedition against Copenhagen under Lord 
Nelson. 

1. At this period Bonaparte was in Egypt, apparently in a very 
hazardous situation, for tlie fleet which had carried him thither had 
been destroyed by the English fleet, under Admiral Nelson, who now 
had the undisputed control of the Mediterranean Sea, thus cutting 
off" the French from receiving any supplies or reinforcements. But 
the genius of the French general inspired the troops with confidence 
and spirit. Egypt being conquered, their arms were turned against 
Syria, Avhich, lilie Egypt, was subject to Turkey. 

2. Proceeding onward in their victorious course, they laid siege to 
Acre, a very strong fortress on the shores of the Mediterranean. Bo- 
naparte now felt the want of a fleet, with which to prevent the town 
from receiving succor by sea. The Turks defended the place 
bravely ; it must, however, have been surrendered, but for the 
arrival of some English ships under Sir Sydney Smith. Landing 
with his sailors, he assisted in repulsing an assault, which the 
Turks, without his assistance, could not have withstood. 

3. Returning to Egypt, Bonaparte received information which in- 
duced him to leave the army and go back to France. Embarking 
on board one of his remaining frigates, he made the voyage in safety, 
and, on the 9th of October, 1799, landed at Frejus, a small port in 
Fi'ance, after having been for forty-one days exposed to capture by 
the enemy's ships, which traversed the sea in all directions. This 
passage is not one of the least extraordinary events of his wonderful 
life. 

4. The French people were very much dissatisfied with their 
present rulers ; and Bonaparte was hailed as the deliverer of France. 
Soon after his arrival at Paris, he was able to effect a change in the 
government, which was now intrusted to three oflicers, called con- 
suls, of whom he was the chief, and in whom all power was, in fact, 
vested. One of the first acts of the First Consul, as he was styled, 
was to offer peace to England and Austria. But neither power 
thought fit to accept the proposal, and the British government did 
not even deign to reply. 

5. The most active preparations were made on all sides for carry- 
ing on the war with vigor. The first consul in person took the com- 
mand of the army destined to act against the Austrians in Italy. 
The Austrian general made the best arrangements for defending the 
passage round the Alps into Italy, thinking it impossible for an 
army to enter it by any otlier route. 

CCVIII.— 1. What of the French operations in Egypt? What of those in Syria? 
3. What of Bonaparte's return to France ? What took place in France after his return? 



BATTLE OF HOHENLINDEN. — 1800. 405 

0. But nothing seemed to be impossible to Bonaparte. Crossing 
directly over the Alps ; transporting his army, with all its baggage, 
stores, and artillery, by ways hitherto deemed almost impassable for 
unincumbered travellers, he took the Austrian general completely 
by surprise. The battle of Marengo decided the fate of Italy. The 
French arms being equally successful in other quarters, Austria was 
once more compelled to sue for peace, and negotiations were com- 
menced. 

7. The Emperor of Germany demanded that England should be 
included in the treaty, to which Bonaparte agreed. The requisitions 
of the English government were, however, such as Bonaparte would 
not accede to ; so the negotiations were broken off, and the emperor 
renewed hostilities. His principal army took the field on the 24th 
of November, 1800, and, on the 3d of December, was totally defeated 
at Hohenlinden by the French under Moreau. 

8. Nothing remained for Austria but to accept such terms of 
peace as the first consul would grant. These were very liberal, and 
the treaty was signed at Luneville, in February, 1801, "and England 
was again left to sustain the war alone. New enemies, too, now 
appeared. Paul, Flmperor of Russia, enraptured with the abilities 
and military glory of Bonaparte, declared himself the warm friend 
of France, and to show his regard, he seized upon all the British 
vessels in his ports. 

9. Denmark and Sweden seemed to be on the point of joining with 
Russia in a confederacy against the maritime power of England. 
But this project was defeated by the promptitude of the British 
government. A force was sent, under Lord Nelson, to destroy the 
Danish ships at Copenhagen. The expedition was completely suc- 
cessful, and Denmark agreed to remain at peace with England. 

10. Nelson then proceeded towards Russia. But his operations 
in that quarter were interrui)ted by the death of Paul. His son and 
successor, Alexander, immediately disclaimed all hostile intentions 
towards England. About the same time, the French forces were 
driven out of Egypt by the British, under Sir Ralph Abercrombie; 
a success which was dearly purchased by the loss of that commander. 

5, 6. What of the war in Italy? 7. When, and Viotween whom, was the battle of Hohen- 
linden? 8. When and where was peace concluded between France and Austria? 9. 
What new enemies against England appeared? What measure did England adopt in 
consequence? 10. What of the Frencli army in Egypt? 



406 BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. — 1805. 



CHAPTER CCIX. 

Peace of Amiens. — Hostilities renewed between France and England. — 
Battle of Trafalgar. — Death of Lard Nelson. — Condition of Europe 
in 1808. 

1. Previous to the transactions which we have just mentioned, a 
change had taken place in the English ministry. On the 11th of 
January, 1801, Mr. Pitt resigned the offices he had held for eighteen 
years. The new ministers at once commenced negotiations for peace 
with France, which was concluded at Amiens, March 27th, 1802. 
All England rung with joyful acclamations at the attainment of this 
long wished-for object. 

2. But the joy was of short continuance. By the terms of the 
treaty, England was bound to surrender Malta, an island in the 
Mediterranean Sea, to the Knights of »St. John, an order which had 
been founded at the time of the crusades, and which, after main- 
taining a war against the Turks for many hundred years, had quietly 
established itself on this island. 

3. England was also bound to give up to the Dutch the Cape of 
Good Hope, which it had captured from them. But when the de- 
mand was made upon her to comply with these stipulations, she 
declined. The true reason for this refusal was, that the British gov- 
ernment foresaw that other causes would soon bring about a new war, 
and they thought they would save themselves the trouble of captur- 
ing these places anew. Hostilities were renewed in 1803, and Mr. 
Pitt resumed his place at the head of the ministry. 

4. In 1804, Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of the French. 
He had now acquired unlimited sway, not only in that country, but 
also over a great part of Europe. England alone remained entirely 
independent. As she had no allies on the continent of Europe, her 
active o])erations were confined princii:)ally to the ocean, on which 
she maintained her usual superiority. The most celebrated naval 
battle was that fought off Cape Trafalgar, in Spain, on the 21st of 
October, 1805, when the British fleet, under Lord Nelson, defeated 
the combined fleets of France and Spain. 

5. In the midst of the engagement, Lord Nelson received a mortal 
wound. When he felt himself wounded, he covered his face with his 
handkerchief, and concealed the decorations of his coat, fearing lest 
his crew should be disheartened liy knowing that the commander had 
fallen. He was carried down to the surgeon's room, where he lived 
long enough to know that his fleet was victorious. His last orders, 
given almost with his dying breath, were that the ships should be 
anchored. These orders were not obeyed, and the consequence was, 

CCIX. — 1. When rlid Mr. Pitt go out of office? Wlien and where was peace made? 
2, 3. Were the terms of this treaty executed? Wlieii were hostilities renewed ? 4. What 
naval victory did the English gain? Who commanded in the battle? 5. Relate the par- 
ticulars of Nelson's death. 6. What jiowers joined England in the war? Where, and 
by whom, were they defeated? V. When did Mr. Pitt die? Who succeeded him? 



8IK ARTHUR WELLESLEY SENT TO SPAIN. — 1808. 407 

that most of the shijjs they had taken were driven on shore in a gale 
which sprang up in the night. 

6. The money and diplomacy of England induced the Emperor 
of Austria, in conjunction witli the Emperor of Russia, once more 
to try his fortunes in a war with France. But he soon found reason 
to rej^ent of his rashness. Napoleon, as Bonaparte was called after 
he became emperor, advanced at once into Austria with a powerful 
army. Vienna, the capital, was taken, and the Russian and Aus- 
trian troops were defeated at Austerlitz. 

7. Nothing remained for the Emperor of Austria but to make 
peace, which he did, upon very humiliating terms, at Presburg, 
December 26th, 1805. The death of Mr. Pitt, on the 23d of Janu- 
ary, 1806, produced a change, in the British ministry. Charles 
James Fox, who had through life been his great rival for power, 
was placed at the head of atfairs. His administration was cut short 
by his death, September 13, 1806. Of the ministry which succeeded, 
Mr. Perceval is usually considered the head. 

8. In the mean time, Napoleon continued his victorious career. 
The King of Prussia, who had taken up arms against him, was com- 
pelled, in 1807, to purchase the Peace of Tilsit, by the surrender of 
a considerable portion of his territories. The Emperor of Russia 
also found it expedient to come to terms with the French. Thus, 
in 1808, Napoleon had nearly the whole continent of Europe under 
his control. Out of the territories which he had taken from Austria 
and Prussia he formed a new kingdom for his brother Jerome. 

9. Upon the throne of Naples he placed Murat, his brother-in- 
law. The King of Spain was a prisoner in France, and Joseph 
Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, was seated on his throne. Louis 
Bonaparte, another brother, was King of Holland. Portugal was 
also under the dominion of this great conqueror. The papal power 
was overthrown, and the pope himself a resident in France. The 
Bourbon claimant of the throne of France was living in England, 
under the name of the Count de Lille, with little prospect of ever 
being restored to his rank. 



CHAPTER CCX. 

Sir Arthur WeHesley sent into Spain. — Death of Sir Mm Moore. — The 
Walcheren Expedition. — The Cabinet. — Melancholy Condition of 
George III. during the last Years of his Life. — A Regent appointed. 

1. The Spaniards did not rest quietly under a foreign yoke. They 
rose in arms against their invaders. In July, 1808, a British army, 
under Sir Arthur Wellesley, was sent to their assistance. Finding 
that Portugal ofiered a better field for operations, Wellesley went 

When did Mr Fox die? 8. What of Napoleon's career? Wliat of the peace of Tilsit? 
What of Napoleon's power in ISOS? How had ho provided for liis family? 



408 THE WALCHEREN EXPEDITION. — 1809. 

thither. He was .so successful that the Freuch were compelled to 
withdraw themselves from the country. 

2. Sir John Moore, who arrived in Spain in November, with 
another British army, was not so fortunate. Having advanced into 
the country, he found himself comj^elled to make a rapid retreat. 
He arrived at Coruinia, January 16th, 1809, closely followed by the 
French, under Marshal Soult, who attacked the British as they were 
embarking. Sir John Moore was among the killed. He was buried 
on the ramparts of Corunna ; an event which is commemorated in 
the beautiful and familiar verses of Wolfe. 

3. On the 8th of April, 1809, Austria again declared war against 
France ; but after having suffered a decisive defeat in the battle of 
Wagram, July 21, was compelled again to .sue for peace. This new 
treaty was cemented by the marriage of the Emperor Napoleon with 
Maria Louisa, a daughter of the Emperor of Austria. The most 
remarkable event of the year, so far as England was concerned, was 
the Walcheren expedition, as it is called, fitted out against Holland, 
and which was most disgracefully unsuccessful. 

4. The reader has doubtless remarked the great change which has 
taken place in the notice we have to take of the King of England. 
In olden times, it was, '' the king did this," and " the king did that," 
— the history of the events which took place being little more than 
an account of the king's doings and adventures. But as the great 
body of the people had now increased in wealth and intelligence, the 
relation between the monarch and the people had greatly changed. 

5. All power was now virtually in the people; a minister, sup- 
ported by the king, might for a time induce a majority of the mem- 
bers of parliament to vote as he wished, and against the wishes of 
a majority of the people ; but eventually the will of the people pre- 
vails. It is a maxim of English law, that " the king can do no 
wrong;" therefore he cannot be held responsible, or punished for his 
conduct by law. To guard against the evils which might result 
from this, it is a provision of the British constitution that the king 
himself shall perform no act of government. 

6. Everything must be done by certain great officers of state, 
corresponding to the secretaries of state, treasury, &c., in the gov- 
ernment of the United States. These officers are called the king's 
"ministers," and sometimes "the cabinet." They are responsible 
for the measures that government adopt; and formerly they gener- 
ally answered with their lives for luipopular measures. Indeed, as 
late as the reign of George I., it was almost a matter of course that, 
upon every change in the ministry, the chief ministers who went 
out of power should be impeached for high treason. 

7. Though the sovereign took so little active part in affairs, yet he 
necessarily possessed a great influence in the state ; we cannot, there- 
fore, entirely neglect him. In November, 1810, the death of his 
youngest and favorite child, the Princess Amelia, brought upon 

CCX.— 1. What of the British operations in Spain? 2. What of Sir John Moore? 
3. Wliat of the war between Austria and France? What expedition fitted out by Eng- 
land? 4. What change has taken place in the course of the story? 5. What maxim 
as to the king? How is its effect obviated? 6. What of the cabinet? 7. W^hat mis- 



WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES. — 1812. 409 

George III. a return of bis former complaiut, and he sank into a 
state of incurable insanity. About the same time he became totally- 
blind. He had a few lucid intervals. During one of these he heard 
a bell tolling for a funeral, and asked whom it was for. 

8. On being told that it was for a tradesman's wife in Windsor, 
he said, " I remember her well ; she was a good woman, and brought 
up her family in the fear of God. She is gone to heaven ; I hope I 
shall soon follow her." Little, however, is known of the last years 
of the king's life ; for the queen, with true feeling and delicacy, could 
not bear that his calamities should be exposed to the public gaze, 
and by her particular desire he was seen only by his physicians and 
necessary attendants. 

9. He passed his time chiefly in roving from room to room of the 
long range of apartments which had been prepared for his accom- 
modation in Windsor Castle. In these apartments were placed 
several harpsichords and pianofortes, and he would occasionally play 
a few bars of Handel's music on them as he passed. Sometimes he 
would hold long dialogues with imaginary persons. At other times 
he would suppose himself to be dead, and to be conversing with 
angels, and would talk of what he fancied the queen and his children 
were doing in this world. 

10. His piety was continually gleaming through all his wander- 
ings, and he would often pray with a fervor of devotion affecting to 
those who overheard him. As his mental disease was evidently in- 
curable, it was absolutely necessary to select a regent, and the Prince 
of Wales was appointed without any opposition. He retained all 
his father's ministers, and no change was made in the system of con- 
ducting public affairs. 



CHAPTER CCXI. 

The overbearing Conduct of Great Britain leads to a War with the 
United States. — War in the Peninsula, where Lord Wellington com- 
mands the British. — Expedition of Napoleon into Russia. — Disastrous 
Result. — The rest of Europe combines against France. — Napoleon sent 
to Elba. — Returns to France and recovers his Power there. — Battle 
of Waterloo. — He is dethroned by the Allies, and sent to St. Helena. 

1. Great Britain exercised her superiority on the ocean in a 
very overbearing manner towards those nations who twok no part in 
the war, and subjected the commerce of wew/ra/ nations to innumer- 
able vexations. The citizens of the United States, being the most 
largely engaged in commerce, were the greatest sufferers. They were 

fortunes befell George HI. in 1810? 9. How did he pass the rest of his life? 10. By 
whom was the country governed? 

35 



410 EXPEDITION OP NAPOLEON INTO RUSSIA. — 1812. 

also subjected to a peculiar outrage, rising from the common origin 
of the two nations. 

2. Great Britain denied the right of any person to renounce his 
country and become the citizen or subject of any other state or 
power. In pursuance of this principle, her press-gangs would go 
on board neutral ships, and take from them such persons as they 
chose to consider British subjects. The common language, and 
great resemblance between the English and the Americans, made it 
very difficult to distinguish between them. 

3. Nor were the British officers very careful in making their selec- 
tions, so that a large number of American citizens were seized in this 
outrageous manner, and held in bondage on board British vessels. 
A British press-gang had, indeed, no more right to go on board an 
American vessel, than they had to enter our house, and to take one 
of us to serve in their vessels. The government of the United States 
remonstrated in vain against this and other outrages, and at length, 
when other measures had been tried without effect, in 1812 they de- 
clared war. 

4. This contest was can-ied on at such a distance from home, and 
upon so small a scale, compared with the wars which were waging in 
Europe, that it attracted comparatively little attention in England. 
We must therefore pass it over, referring the reader, for full details, 
to another volume.* We now return to Spain, where, during the 
years 1811 and 1812, the British troops, under Sir Arthur Wellesley, 
who had been made Lord Wellington, gained many victories, but 
were at last obliged to retire into Portugal. 

5. In 1813, Lord Wellington succeeded in driving the French out 
of Spain and Portugal, or the Peninsula, as it is called, and, on the 
7th of October, entered France. He advanced into the country, 
and on the 11th of April, 1814, defeated the French army, under 
Marshal Soult, at Toulouse. We must now go back to Napoleon, 
whom we left at the pinnacle of greatness, ruling most of the na- 
tions of Europe. On the continent, Russia alone was not subject 
to his will. The attempt was now to be made to subdue that country 
also. 

6. On the 24th of June, 1812, Napoleon passed the river Niemen, 
the boundary of Russia, at the head of an army of 400,000 men. 
Sweeping all before him, he entered Moscow, the ancient capital of 
the country, on September 15tli, with the intention of passing the 
winter in that city. But the Russian governor, before he left the 
town, had caused it to be set on fire in various places. The houses 
being chiefly of wood, the flames spread with so much rapidity, that 
all the attempts of the French to arrest it proved vain, and two- 
thirds of the city was destroyed. 

7. It had never entered into the mind of Napoleon, that a people 



CCXI.— 2. What light did England deny? What did she do in pursuance of this 
denial? 3. To what did her conduct lead? Where, in Europe, were the British troops 
successful? Who commanded? 5. When did Lord Wellington enter France? What 
battle did he gain ? 6. When did Napoleon pass the Russian boundary? What was his 



*" Pictorial History of the United States, by the author of Peter Parley's Tales." 



ABDICATION OF NAPOLEON. — 1814. 



411 



would destroy their own capital ; he had therefore made no pro- 
vision for the support or shelter of his army during the long Rus- 
sian winter, relying upon finding every necessary thing in the 
captured city. He was now, therefore, in great difficulty. His 
stores were exhausted ; his supplies were cut off by the Russian 
troops ; his soldiers were dispirited and worn out by fatigue and 
exposure. A retreat was all that remained to him. 

8. The horrors of this retreat are past our powers to describe. 
The route of the army might, in many places, be traced by the dead 
bodies of those who perished from hunger, cold, and fatigue. Of 
the host that entered Russia, not more than 50,000 re-crossed the 
boundary of the country on the return. On the 4th of December, 
Napoleon left the army, and set off on a rapid journey to Paris. 

9. These reverses encouraged the subject nations to endeavor to 
shake off the yoke of France. Prussia was the first to join the ad- 
vancing armies of Russia. Sweden and Austria followed her lead, 
and, in November, 1813, Holland joined the allies, as did Denmark, 
in January, 1814. The immense armies of the allies compelled the 
French to retreat to their own country, whither they pursued. On 
the 30th of March, 1814, the combined armies gained a great vic- 
tory before Paris, and the next day entered the city in triumph. 




NAPOI^EON ON BOARD THE BELLEROPHON. 

10. On the 4th of April, Napoleon abdicated the throne, and 
retired to the small island of Elba, on the coast of Italy, which was 
assigned to him by the allied powers. The Empress Maria Louisa 
and her infant son had previously gone to Vienna. On the 3d of 
May, Louis XVIII., brother and heir to Louis XVI., who was be- 



succesa? What checked his career? 8. What of his retreat ? 9. What effect had these 
reverses upon other nations? 10. Relate the events which happened till peace was made. 



412 BATTLE OF WATERLOO. — 1815. 

headed, made his entry into Paris. On the 30th of May, peace was 
concluded betwewi the allied powers and France. A few months 
afterwards peace was made between England and the United 
States. 

11. But the French could not reconcile themselves to a king who 
was forced upon them by foreign bayonets. They longed for an 
opportunity to get rid of him. This was soon off'ered. In March, 
1815, all Europe was alarmed by the news that Napoleon had 
landed in France, and had been received by the people with 
acclamations of joy. On the morning of March 20th, Louis XVIII. 
fled from Paris, and on the evening of the same day Napoleon took 
up his residence in the royal palace, and resumed the government 
without opposition. 

12. His first act was to propose to the allies to maintain the 
peace on the terms which had lately been settled. But they re- 
jected the proposal, and put their armies in motion for the pur- 
pose of crushing the man whose ambition troubled the world. To 
prevent their entrance into France, Napoleon advanced at the 
head of 150,000 men into the Netherlands. On the 17th, after 
some bloody conflicts, the allied army, under Lord Wellington, 
posted itself near the village of Waterloo. 

13. About ten o'clock the next day began one of the severest 
battles recorded in history. It raged furiously during the whole 
day, and ended in the total defeat of the French. When all was 
lost, Napoleon quitted the field, attended by five or six officers, and 
arrived at Paris on the night of the 20th. Seeing no hope of 
retrieving his aftairs, he went to Rochefort with the intention of 
proceeding to the United States. 

14. Finding that the harbor was guarded by an English frigate, 
he came to the I'esolution of throwing himself upon the generosity 
of the English nation ; a confidence which was requited, by the 
regent and party in power, by banishment and confinement for 
life at St. Helena, a little rocky island rising up in the middle of 
the Atlantic Ocean. Here he died. May 5th, 1821. In 1840, the 
whigs being in power in England, and a new family on the throne 
of France, an expedition was sent out under the king's son to bring 
the body of Napoleon to France. It was borne to Paris, and there 
re-entombed, with vast pomp. 

15. After the battle of Waterloo, the victorious army advanced 
upon Paris, which made no resistance. On the 8th of July, Louis 
XVIII. re-entered his capital ; but the foreign troops retained 
possession of it till peace was finally restored, which took place in 
October. By the treaty the allies were to retain several fortresses 
on the side of the Netherlands for five years, as security for the 
preservation of peace, and to have the troops in readiness to put 
down any rising of tlie French people. The expense of supporting 
these troops was defrayed by France. 

11. What of the feelings of the Frencli ? What of Napoleon ? When was the battle of 
Waterloo fought? Wlio were victorious ? What became of Napoleon? 15. What was 
done as to France after the battle of Waterloo? 



NATIONAL DEBT OF GREAT BRITAIN. 413 



CHAPTER CCXII. 

The National Debt of Great Britain. — Hargraves and Arkwright make 
great Improvements in Machinery. — Watt and the Steam Engine. — 
Great Importance of the latter in England. 

1. It may well excite our surprise that Great Britain should be 
able to obtain money enough to sustain her long wars. She not 
only had her own troops to support, but the assistance of Austria, 
Prussia, and other powers was purchased at great cost. They were 
in fact bribed to take part in the wars which were ostensibly carry- 
ing on for their own deliverance. The immediate means by which 
England obtained her supplies of money consisted in loans. 

2. There are a great many men in England who have money 
which they do not wish to employ in business, and which they are 
willing to lend to the government, receiving a certain sum for the ~ 
use of it, which sum, or intered, is usually paid half-yearly. The 
government issues a written jjaper, specifying the sum lent, and the 
rate of interest, or amount of half-yearly payment. This debt, on 
the pai't of the government, constitutes what is called the public 
funds. It is divided into very small sums, and portions of it are 
bought and sold like bank stock, or railroad stock. 

3. This debt, which was commenced by William III., now 
amounts to four thousand millions of dollars. There is no idea that 
the principal of it will ever be paid. The interest on it amounts to 
a very large sum, and as this must be raised by taxes, a very heavy 
burden is imposed on the people. But they submit to this cheer- 
fully, rather than violate the public faith. The punctuality in the 
payment of interest gives such confidence to the people who have 
money to lend, that upon one occasion during the war, the enormous 
sum of ninety millions of dollars was borrowed in fifteen hours. 

4. But we may ask how the people of England became so rich. 
Chiefly by commerce and the increase of manufactures, especially 
that of cotton. Until the middle of the last century the spinning 
of cotton was performed by hand, with the aid of the common spin- 
ning-wheel. In 1767, Richard Hargraves, a carpenter, invented the 
spinning-jenny, a machine by which a great many threads could be 
spun with as much ease as one could before. 

5. This was a great improvement, but the spinning-jenny required 
to be worked by hand. In 1770, Richard Arkwright, a barber of 
Preston, in England, made public his invention of the water-spin- 
ning-frame, a machine which may be moved wholly by water or 
steam, and which does the work of a vast number of human fingers 
in the same time, and with much more precision. 

6. This invention gave an immense impulse to industry, and by 
enabling Great Britain to manufacture at a cheaper rate than any 

CCXII. — 2. What is meant by the term public funds 1 4. What is the great source 
35* 



414 ADVANTAGES OF STEAM IN MANUFACTURES. 

other nation, added enormously to her wealth. Arkwright may 
well be called a benefactor of his country, for by diminishing the 
cost of an article of clothing, he added to the comforts of the poor, 
who are by far the largest portion of the people. An immense 
fortune was the reward of his ingenuity. 

7. But as there are in (ireat Britain, compared with our own 
country, few streams which have a sufficient fall of water to move 
machinery, the inventions of Arkwright would have been of com- 
paratively little advantage, without the aid of the steam engine, 
which, about the same time, was rendered an efficient agent, and 
brought into general use, in consequence of the improvements made 
in it by James Watt, a mechanic of Glasgow, in Scotland. 

8. Of the immense value, in England, of these improvements in a 
machine which was before of comparatively little worth, the follow- 
ing extract from an English author may convey an idea. " Con- 
sidered in its application to liusbandry, the farmer looks out upon 
the neat paling in front of his dwelling ; it was sawed by steam. 
The spade witli which he digs his garden, the rake, the hoe, the 
pickaxe, the scythe, the sickle, — every implement of rural toil, — are 
produced by steam. 

9. " Steam bruises the oil-cake which feeds his cattle ; moulds the 
ploughshare which turns up his fields ; forms the shears which clip 
his flock ; and cards, s])ins, and weaves the produce. Applied to ar- 
chitecture, we find the hundred arms of the steam engine everywhere 
at work. Stone is cut by it, marble polished, cement ground, mortar 
mixed, floors sawed, doors planed, chimney-pieces carved, lead rolled 
for roofs, and drawn for gutters, rails formed, gratings and bolts 
forged, paints ground and mixed, and paper made and stained. 

10. *' By the same power is worsted dyed and carpet wove, ma- 
hogany veneered, door locks ornamented, the stuff' for curtains 
made, printed and measured ; fringes, tassels and bell-ropes, chair 
covers and chair-rails, bell- wires, linens and blankets manufactured ; 
china and earthen ware turned ; glass cut and pier-glass formed ; 
the drawing-room, dining-room, kitchen closets, all owe to steam 
their most essential requisites. 

11. " Should it be asked, what has enabled the mechanic to wear 
two hats a year instead of going bareheaded or sporting the bonnet 
which their father wore ; what has clothed them in suits of cloth as 
good as that worn by the highest in the land ; what has donned for 
their wives the apparel of ladies, made their boys rejoice in a plu- 
rality of suits ; 

12. " What has, in the bridal hour, dressed their daughters in 
robes, delicate in texture as the spider's web, beautiful in color as 
the rainbow's hues, and for elegance such as never, in their gran- 
dames' younger days, even duchesses wore ; what plaited her bonnet, 
tamboured her net, wove her laces, knitted her stockings, veneered 
her comb, flowered her ribands, gilded her buttons, sewed her shoes, 



of England's wealth? What of Hargraves ? 5. What of Arkwright? 7. What of Jamea 
Watt? 9. State generally the benefits of the steam engine to Great Britain. 



LORD EXMOUTH's EXPEDITION TO ALGIERS. — 1816. 415 

and even fashioned the rosette that ornamented their ties? The 
answer is, — steam." 



CHAPTER CCXIII. 

Lord Exmouth's Expedition to Algiers. — The African Slave- Trade 
suppressed. — John Howard, the Philanthropist. 

1. The Algerines and the other states of Barbary, on the African 
coast of the Mediterranean Sea, had for many centuries been little 
better than hordes of pirates. Fitting out cruisers, they seized upon 
the vessels of all nations frequenting the Mediterranean, and made 
slaves of the unhappy persons whom they found in them. It is un- 
accountable that the powerful nations of Europe should so long have 
submitted to their depredations. 

2. Instead of sending forces to break up the nests of these pirates, 
commercial nations were in the habit of purchasing the safety of 
their vessels by the annual payment of large sums of money to the 
chiefs of the several states. We believe the United States were the 
first who made any vigorous attack upon them. In the spring of 
1816, the British government sent Lord Exmouth to remonstrate 
with the Dey or Governor of Algiers against his jiiratical depredations. 

3. The dey released some Christian slaves, and promised to ab- 
stain from making any for the future. But not long after, the news 
reached England that some Italians, who were fishing for pearls at 
Bona, had been carried off for slaves. This w^ant of faith highly 
incensed the people of England, and Lord Exmouth was sent out 
with a squadron to compel the Algerines to perform their promises. 

4. It is usual for commercial nations to keep a representative, 
called a consul, in each of the principal foreign ports. It is the duty 
of the consul to protect the rights of the people whom he represents. 
Lord Exmouth's first act was to send a vessel to bring away the 
British consul from Algiers. The dey, who had received informa- 
tion of the intentions of the English, had already put the consul in 
prison ; but his wife and daughter, disguising themselves, contrived 
to reach the British vessel. 

5. The consul's youngest child, a little infant, was, for better con- 
cealment, 2)ut into a basket, which one of the English sailors was 
to carry on board, as if it was only a bundle of clothes ; but the 
poor little baby began to cry, and thus betrayed itself to the Moors, 
who seized upon it. The poor mother passed many wretched hours 
in terrible uncertainty for the fate of her child ; but the dey had the 
humanity to send it to her the next morning, and thus her grief 
was changed to transport. 

6. On May 27th, 1816, Lord Exmouth with his fleet came in sight 

CCXIII.— 1. What of" tho. states of Barbary ? 2. What expedition was Lord Exmouth 
sent upon? 3. What led to the second expedition? 4. What of a consul? Relate the 



416 HOWARD THE PHILANTHROPIST. 

of Algiers. He sent at once to demand of the dey, that all Christian 
slaves should be set at liberty. Receiving no answer after having 
waited several hours, he began to fire upon the town. The batteries 
of the town returned a tremendous fire upon the ships. But this 
soon ceased ; for in a short space of time, the dey's magazines, ship- 
ping, and a large part of the town, were destroyed. 

7. The next morning the dey sent to inform Lord Exmouth that 
he would agree to the terms demanded; and before noon most of the 
Christian slaves were released, and the English fleet in a few days 
sailed from Algiers. We must not forget to mention the efforts 
which were made during this reign to put an end to the traffic in 
Africans, carried on by the subjects of Christian countries, com- 
monly called the slave-trade. 

8. The law forbidding British subjects to be concerned in it was 
passed during the short administration of Mr. Fox; after a contest 
of several years with those interested in the continuance of the trade. 
That the measure was finally carried, is to be attributed to the per- 
severing exertions of Mr. Wilberforce, seconded, ovit of parliament, 
by those of Mr. Clarkson, who devoted his Avhole life to the cause. 

9. Neither must we forget to mention the efforts of John Howard, 
another friend of humanity, who devoted his time to the ameliora- 
tion of the condition of persons confined in prisons and jails. He 
visited all the jails in England, and made known their condition to 
the public, which, with scarcely an exception, was horrible; thus 
securing the adoption of measures for its improvement. He then 
passed over to the continent, and made several journeys to the dif- 
ferent countries, visiting the prisons and the hosjiitals. 

10. In 1789, he published an account of these institutions, and 
made known his intention of visiting Russia and Turkey, and the 
countries of Asia, on the same benevolent errand. A little before 
he left England, when a friend expressed his concern at parting with 
him, he cheerfully replied, " We shall soon meet in heaven ;" and as 
he knew the risk he incurred of dying of the plague in Egypt, he 
added, " The way to heaven from Cairo is as near as from London." 
This good man did fall a victim to his humanity ; for, in visiting a 
sick prisoner at Cherson, in Russia, he caught a malignant fever, 
and died January 20th, 1790. 



CHAPTER CCXIV. 

Death of Qeorge III. — The Authors ivho flourished in the latter part 
of his Reign. 

1. During the last nine years of his life, George III. was in a mel- 
ancholy state of blindness, deafness, and mental incapacity, which was 

particulars of Lord Exmouth's conduct at Algiers. 7. What of the African slave-trade ? 
9. What of Howard ? 10. Where did he die? 



DEATH OF GEORGE III. — 1820. 417 

ended by his death, January 29th, 1820. He was in the eighty- 
second year of his age, and the sixtieth of his reign. He continued 
his active liabits till within a few days of his death ; and, notwith- 
standing his want of sight, he constantly dressed himself without 
assistance. At last, the powers of life seemed quite worn out, and 
he died without any apparent suffering. 

2. George III. not only reigned longer, but also lived to a 
greater age, than any other English monarch. Before closing our 
account of this long and eventful reign, we will mention some of 
the men of letters who gained distinction during the latter part of 
it. We shall not attempt to give an idea of their respective styles 
or merits ; for this we must refer the reader to critical works, or, 
what is better, the productions of these authors themselves. We 
can do little more than mention names and dates, so as to indicate 
when those authors lived whose names are so constantly occurring 
in books and conversation. 

3. About the time of the French Revolution, as great a change 
took place in the style in which ideas were presented to the public, 
as in that in which the body was arrayed. In the preceding period, 
it appears to have been impossible for the writers to shake off the 
formality and precision which accompanied full-bottomed wigs 
and hoop-petticoats. The old Greek and Roman heroes and sages 
seemed to wear the wigs and brocades and the stately manners of 
George II. 's reign. But now more natural and easy fashions pre- 
vailed, and writers adopted language and a style suitable to the 
objects and times to be represented. 

4. A collection of old ballads, published in 1755, by Bishop 
Percy, familiarly known as Percy's Beliques, was the immediate 
means of exciting a taste for simjjle and unaffected poetry. The 
change in style was gradual, for authors are very reluctant to 
acknowledge that any manner can be better than the one which 
they have adopted. It was not, therefore, till a new generation of 
authors should appear, educated amid the influence of the im- 
proved public taste, that a very decided change was to be expected. 
Among the first to throw off the trammels, was William Cowper, 
who seems to have been hardly conscious of his poetical talent, till 
he was fifty years old, at which age, in 1782, he published the 
Ihtle Talk, and, two years afterwards, The Task. 

5. Cowper expresses, in unaffected language, his own feelings, 
which were deeply tinged with melancholy, a trait of character 
which we should hardly expect in the author of the humorous 
ballad of John Gilpin. George Crabbe, a country clergyman, who 
was born in 1754, wrote some natural and pleasing sketches, in 
verse, of rural life. The first poems of the Scottish peasant, Robert 
Burns, were published in 1786. He was then twenty-seven years 
old. His beautiful songs soon acquired for him a reputation, not 
only in England, but also in foreign lands. 

CCXIV.— 1. When did George III. die? What was the length of his reign? What 
his age? 3. What cliange in the style of writing? 4. What publication led to a change 
in the public taste? What of William Cowper? 5. What of Crabbe? What of Burns? 



418 DISTINGUISHED AUTHORS OF THE TIME. 

6. In the same year, Samuel Rogers, a London banker, published 
his first volume of poems, which were followed, in 1792, by The 
Pleasures of Memory, the poem by which he is best known. The 
poets of the preceding reign had a strong similarity in their style, 
because it was formed upon the received model, Pope. But Cow- 
per, Crabbe, Burns, and Rogers, are very difl'erent from each other, 
and William Wordsworth, born in 1770, adopted yet another and a 
peculiar style. He sought to express, in common language, the 
ordinary incidents of life, conveying, however, a deep and touching 
moral and meaning. 

7. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a man of genius, but too much in- 
clined to metaphysical studies to be pojjular, was born in 1773, and 
began to publish verses in 1794. The struggle for liberty, first in 
America, and afterwards in France, the breaking up of customs 
and institutions which had held the human mind in bondage for so 
many centuries, could not fail to excite young men of genius. 
Wordsworth and Coleridge were stirred up by the exciting events of 
the day, as was Robert Southey, a poet of the first rank, born in 1774. 

8. Southey was at first an enthusiastic admirer of the French 
Revolution, and an advocate for the utmost liberty and equality 
among men. In his twenty-first year he published a poem, the 
heroine of which was Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, whose his- 
tory we have bi-iefly noticed. He proposed to carry his notions into 
practice, by establishing, in connection with Coleridge and a Mr. 
Lovell, a philosophical government on the banks of the Susque- 
hanna, in Pennsylvania. But the scheme was broken up by the 
marriage of the three young enthusiasts with three sisters, who, we 
suppose, were riot so ready to sacrifice real comforts for ideal advan- 
tages. In later life, Southey was a staunch friend of the church 
and state, in England, and became poet-laureate under George III. 

9. The next of the great modern poets is Thomas Campbell, born 
in Scotland, in 1777. His Pleasures of Hope was published in 1799. 
Every one is familiar with his poetry, for his shorter pieces are to 
be found in all the " readers" and "class-books." Next comes Sir 
Walter Scott, whose delightful tales have entertained and instructed 
many grandchildren, besides Master Hugh Littlejohn. It was as a 
poet that he first gained a reputation. He was born in Scotland, in 
1771. The Lay of the Last 3Iinstrel, his first long original poem, 
was published in 1805. This, and the other poems which suc- 
ceeded it, were received with an avidity hitherto unexampled. 

10. He maintained his place as the most j^opular poet till he was 
supplanted in public favor by Lord Byron, born in 1788, who, in 
1812, published the first part of Chikle Harold's Pilgrimage. Find- 
ing himself eclii^sed in public favor, Sir Walter abandoned poetry, 
and devoted himself to another species of composition. In 1814, a 
novel, called Waverley, made its appearance. The name of the 
author was carefully concealed. Other novels, by the "author of 
Waverley," followed in rapid succession, and placed the " Great Un- 

6. What of Rogers? What of the style of those poets? What of Wordsworth? 

7. What of Coleridge? What of Southey? What project did ho form? 9. What of 
Campbell ? What of Scott ? Who supplanted Scott in public favor as a poet ? 10. What 



DISTINGUISHED AUTHORS OF THE TIME. 



419 



known," as this author was familiarly called, far above all writers of 
prose fiction, and in the rank Avith Shakspeare, Milton, and the 
great masters in literature. 

11. We can hardly conceive the interest with which the question 
of authorship was discussed, or the enthusiasm with which the works 
themselves were received. The battle of Waterloo, upon the result 
of which depended the fate of empires, hardly excited more interest, 
than the announcement of a new novel by the author of Waverley. 
Public opinion soon fixed on Scott as the author, but it was not till 
1827 that he publicly acknowledged it. 

12. We must now go back a little to speak of a few novel-writers 
of an earlier date. In 1777, Miss Burney, afterwards Madame 
D'Arblay, published Evelina. She was then but about twenty years 
old, and she had carefully concealed from every person, even her 
parents, that she was writing a book. It was received with great 
favor by the public, and, as the author's name was not given, all 
were eager to know who it could be. The parents of Miss Burney 
were not less pleased and curious than the rest of the world ; and 
we may well suppose the author never enjoyed a happier moment, 
than when she told them that the work which everybody was prais- 
ing, and which had afforded them so much pleasure, was the produc- 
tion of their own youthful daughter. 




HANNAH MORE. 



13. Mrs. RadclifFe, who wrote romances abounding in terrors, was 
born in 1764, and published her first book in 1789. Miss Edgeworth, 
Mrs. Opie, Mrs. Barbauld, and Miss Hannah More, flourished during 
the period of which we are now speaking. Hitherto we have only 

new form of composition did Scott appear in? With what success? 11. What of 



420 FAMILY OP GEORGE III. 

noticed authors of works of imagination. There were no historical 
works of so much brilliancy and polish as those produced in the 
preceding period, but many which exceed them in accuracy. In 
1784, Adam Fergusson published a Hhtory of the Roman Republic. 

14. In 1786, Adam Gillies published The History of Greece, a 
work long esteemed, but now superseded by Mr. Mitford's history. 
William Roscoe, a lawyer, and afterwards a banker, published, in 
1795, the Life of Lorenzo de' Medici, and in 1805, a Life of Rope Leo 
X. The other distinguished historians of this period, are Sharon 
Turner, to whom we are indebted for many stories of the Anglo- 
Saxon times; John Lingard, a Catholic priest, who has written a 
history of England, which is adopted as the standard history among 
Catholics ; Henry Hallam, and Charles James Fox, the distinguished 
statesman. 

15. This period was particularly rich in voyages and travels. Peri- 
odical literature also made a great advance in merit. In 1802, a few 
young men, just out of the University of Edinburgh, established the 
Edinburgh Review, whose pages exhibited so much talent, as soon to 
throw all other works of the kind quite into the shade. The writers 
were all whigs, and advocated liberal principles. To counteract its 
influence, the tories, in 1809, commenced the publication, in London, 
of a similar work, by the title of the Quarterly Review. These works 
still maintain their place at the head of this department of literature. 

FAMILY OF GKORGE III. 

AVIFE. 

Charlotte, Princess of Mccklcnburg-Strelitz. 

CHILDREN. 
George, Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV. 

Frederick, Duke of York, died January 5th, 1827, leaving no children. 
William Henry, Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV. 
Charlotte Augusta, married the Duke of Wirtemberg. 
Edward, Duke of Kent, died January 2.'id, 1S20. 
Augusta Sophia, died September 22d, 1840, unmarried. 
Elizabeth, married the Prince of Hesse-Homburg. 
Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, afterwards King of Hanover. 
Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex. 
Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge. 
Mary, married her cousin, the Duke of Gloucester. 
Sophia. 

Octavius, died in 1783. 
Alfred, died in 1782. 
Amelia, died in 1810. 

GRANDCHILDREN. 

Alexandria Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Kent, and now queen, born 

May 24th, 1819. 
George Frederick, son of the King of Hanover. 
George William, son of the Duke of Cambridge. 
Augusta, daughter of the Duke of Cambridge. 

Miss Biirney? 13. What other novelists flourished at this period? What historians 
are mentioned ? 15. What of periodical literature ? 



GEORGE IV. — 1820. 421 



CHAPTER CCXV. 

George IV. — His Character, Person, Education, and Habits. — Mrs. 
Fitzherbert; new Marriage Act. — The Marriage of the Prince to 
Caroline of Brunswick. — His singular Conduct and Change in his 
Mode of Life. — The great Discontents which prevailed during the 
last Years of his Regency. 



GKORGE IV. 

1. Geoege IV. was fifty-eight years of age when he succeeded 
his father. Nature had given him warm feelings, more than ordi- 
nary abilities, and not a bad heart. He often, in the course of his 
life, performed kind actions; but he also allowed himself to be 
easily offended, and when he was, he seldom forgave. His mind 
was cultivated, his manners graceful and dignified ; and he could 
assume, when he chose, an urbanity quite irresistible. He was of 
a fair complexion, and, in his youth, liad a fine face and person. 

2. The king, his fother, had often felt and lamented the disadvan- 
tages of his own limited education, and was anxious that his son 
should have nothing to regret on that score. Very able men were 
appointed to be his preceptors. It has been said that these, in their 
great zeal to fulfil their duty, did not sufficiently study the temper 
and character of their royal pupil, or the peculiar circumstances 
in which he was placed, and that they subjected him to too much 
restraint. 

3. On being emancipated from his pupilage, he surrounded himself 

CCXV. — 1. How old was George IV. when lie succeeded to the throne? What is 
said of his character? 3. Whoui did he take for his model, when a young man? 

36 



422 CHARACTER AND HABITS OF GEORGE IV. 

with gay companions, and launched into an excess of folly and ex- 
travagance. It was said, by way of apology, that the young prince 
had chosen Henry V. for his model, and that he meant only to 
divert himself a while, and that, when the time should come for 
assuming a more elevated character, he, too, Avould cast away his 
follies, and rise superior to his former self 

4. But, unfortunately, this time was so long in coming, that he 
at last became confirmed in frivolity and dissipation, setting at 
nought good precepts, good example, and even good report. He is 
said to have declared to a friend, a short time before his death, that 
he found too late that he had made a fatal mistake ; and that, were 
his life to come over again, he would aim at something better than 
being a man of pleasure. 

5. When the prince was about twenty-two, he became attached 
to Mrs. Fitzherbert, a lady many years older than himself, but of 
great beauty and agreeableness. It was rumored that the prince 
had privately married her. The marriage would not have been 
binding, because, by a law made in the early part of George III.'s 
reign, all marriages entei'ed into by members of the royal family, 
without the written consent of the sovereign, were declared to be void. 

6. This law was made in consequence of the king's two brothers 
having followed their inclinations, and married agreeable English 
ladies, in preference to foreign princesses, with whom, for reasons 
of state, George III. would have been better pleased. The report, 
however, of the Prince of Wales' marriage caused great agitation 
throughout the kingdom, and became a matter of discussion in par- 
liament. Mr. Fox, then one of the prince's friends, by his author- 
ity denied the marriage, calling the report "a mgnstrous calumny." 

7. At this time, and for some years afterwards, the personal ex- 
penses of the prince were enormous, and far exceeded his allowance ; 
so that, in 17'.'4, his debts amounted to little less than three and a 
half millions of dollars. His thoughtless extravagance brought upon 
him, in spite of his otherwise popular qualities, the contempt of the 
public, and the serious displeasure of his father, who, however, in 
the hope that his character would be benefited by his forming new 
ties, promised him that his debts should be paid if he would marry 
sucli a person as should be selected for him, 

8. The prince reluctantly consented, and, in 1795, married his 
cousin, the Princess Caroline of Brunswick. This union, as might 
have been expected under such circumstances, was not a happy one, 
and, after the birth of one child, the Princess Charlotte, a separation 
took place. The wife of the prince for some time led a very secluded 
life, shut out from court by the personal dislike of Queen Charlotte ; 
but the king continued to show her unvaried kindness, until, by his 
insanity, she lost her best and almost only friend. 

9. From the time of his marriage, the prince withdrew himself 
almost wholly from public atFairs, until tliey were forced on him by- 
his being made regent in 1810. We have already related the prin- 

5. What is the hiw of Eugland witli regard to the marriage of members of the royal 
family? 7. What of the prince"? habits of expoiiditurp? What did his father propose 
to him ? 8. Whom did he marry ? 9. What of the state of public feeling after the close 



THE CATO STREET CONSPIRACY. — 1820. 423 

cipal events which hcappened while he was regent. During the first 
half of this period, the public attention was absorbed by the great 
conflict going on upon tlie continent. When the national exulta- 
tion for the great victory of Waterloo had subsided, the people 
began to feel the pressure of the taxes which the long wars had 
rendered necessary. 

10. The English manufacturers had been able to carry on their 
business during the war, and with great success, because the people 
of the continent, being directly exposed to the ravages of war, had 
been obliged to give up all peaceful occupations. When quiet was 
restored on the continent, the people of the different countries were 
able to return to their former employments; and as the great mass 
had gained very much in intelligence since the commencement of 
the French Revolution, they were better able to comjjete with the 
skilful mechanics of England. 

11. In consequence of this, there was a great falling off in the 
business of the manufacturers, and much distress among the work- 
people, who were thrown out of emi)loyment. Discontents pre- 
vailed, therefore, in all parts of the country. In 1816, a plot was 
formed in London to overthrow the government, and correspond- 
ence was had with people in other parts of the country. The 
government adopted prompt measures. The habeas corpus act 
was suspended, many persons were arrested, and two or three tried 
and executed. 

12. Thus the spirit of discontent was stifled for a time, but broke 
out again in the manufacturing districts in 1819. In August, a 
mob of not less than 80,000 persons collected at Manchester, which 
is the chief seat of the cotton manufactures. The troops were 
called out to disperse it, and many persons were killed and 
wounded. This had the effect of quelling the tendency to riots 
for the time. 

13. In the spring of the following year, government received 
information that certain persons, who were in the habit of meeting 
at a stable in Cato street, in London, had formed a plot to destroy 
all the ministers, and had appointed the next day for its execution, 
it being known that the ministers would on that day dine together 
at the house of one of the number. The conspirators were imme- 
diately arrested, and, their guilt being proved, were executed. 

of the war? 10. What took place in 1810? 11. What in 1819? 12. What of the Cato 
street conspiracy? 



424 



RETURN OF QUEEN CAROLINE. — 1820. 



CHAPTER CCXVI. 

The Queen returns to England. — Received with Enthusiasm by the 
People. — The King refuses to acknoioledge her as Queen. — He seeks 
to deprive her of her Rights by Law, but is disappoi?ited. 




THE TRIAL, OF QUEEN CAROLINE. 

1. The two questions which, at the period of the king's acces- 
sion, were looked to with tlie most eagerness by the public, were, 
first, whether he would appoint his early friends, the whigs, to 
office; and secondly, what his conduct would be towards the queen. 
Almost all his personal friends were of the whig party, and yet, 
when he was made regent, he had appointed none of them to office. 

2. It was thought probable that he might have been prevented 
bv filial respect from displacing those in whom his father had con- 
fidence, and that, when he became sovereign in his own right, he 
would appoint those to office who would act in accordance with the 
principles which he had himself professed, so long as he took any 
active part in ijolitics. All those, however, wdio looked for such a 
course on his part, were disappointed ; the tory ministers kept their 
places. 

3. The affiiir of the queen was not so speedily settled. This un- 
fortunate princess had left England in 1814. and at the time of 
George III.'s death Avas residing in Italy. When the news of that 
event reached her, she immediately resolved to return to England, 
and assert the rights of her station. The king, Avhose dislike to her, 
instead of being softened by time and absence, was only increased. 



CCXVI.— 1. What questions were agitated at George IV.'s accession? 2. How was 
the first settled ? 3. What of the second ? Relate the story of the queen till her arrival 



HER RECEPTION BY THE KING AND PEOPLE. 425 

did all in his power to prevail on her to remain abroad, and offered 
her an increase of income, if she would not return nor assume the 
title of queen. 

4. This offer was indignantly rejected. She landed at Dover, June 
5th, 1820. She was met at her landing by multitudes, dressed in 
their holiday clothes, who all seemed determined, partly out of sym- 
pathy for her, and partly, it may be, to show their dislike to the king, 
to make up, as far as lay in their power, for the neglect and insults he 
had shown her; for he not only refused to receive her as queen, but 
had even ordered that she should not be prayed for in the churches. 

5. At every place to which she came in her journey to London, the 
inhabitants poured out to meet her. As she approached the city, the 
crowd became altogether immense, and escorted her in procession to 
the house where, for the time, she took up her abode, the use of the 
palace, usually assigned to the queen, having been refused her. She 
now became an object of general interest and commiseration, not 
only to the populace, but also to many very wise and good people 
in the higher ranks, who took her part from real feeling. 

6. She had great good-nature, and was open and affable, and so 
devoid of pride and stateliness, that all who approached her were 
won by her condescension. The multitude saw in her not only a 
princess unjustly deprived of the rightful privileges of her rank, but 
also a woman unfairly cast off by her husband, and whom that hus- 
band had shown, on many occasions, a cruel desire to stigmatize, in 
the hoj^e of finding a pretext for getting lid of the shackles that 
still bound him to her. 

7. They would not suffer themselves to believe the fact, that she 
had, in a great degree, brought this treatment on herself. Even in 
the commencement of her married life she had used no gentle means, 
none of those soft words that turn away anger, to win the prince's 
affections. To resent her injuries, and to vindicate her rights, had 
been the constant tenor of all her subsequent communications to 
him. Her provocations had, indeed, been great, but her conduct 
under them had been violent and unconciliating. 

8. The manner in which the queen was received by the people 
only tended to increase the king's bitterness against her. With an 
eagerness almost malignant, he caught at various rumors of her 
ill conduct while abroad. By his direction, a bill was brought into 
parliament, to deprive her of the rights and title of queen, and to 
dissolve the marriage between her and himself. 

9. An investigation was made as to her conduct, and many wit- 
nesses were examined both for and against her, but nothing was 
proved, except that she had indulged in an improper freedom of 
manners. The bill was, therefore, abandoned, to the disgrace of 
the ministers who had been instrumental in bringing it forward, 
and to the extreme mortification of the king, thus bafiled in the 
point for which he had so much labored, and which was the most 
earnest wish of his heart. 

in London. 5, 6, 7. How was she received and considered in England ? 8. What did the 
king do? 9. What was his success? 

36* 



426 CORONATION OF GEORGE IV. — ]S2I. 

CHAPTER CCXVII. 

Coronation of George IV. — The Queen dies of a broken Heart. 

1. George IV. was very fond of display, and he determined that 
his coronation should be attended with unexampled magnificence. 
The ceremony took place July 19th, 1821, in Westminster Abbey, 
which, as well as the adjoining hall, had been fitted up with the 
greatest splendor. As soon as it was light in the morning of that 
day, all the avenues to the Abbey were crowded with ladies and 
gentlemen in full dress, who were hastening to take their places in 
the galleries fitted up for spectators. 

2. At six o'clock most of the royal family had arrived. The 
king himself entered the Abbey at about ten, and the whole cere- 
mony was not over till eight in the evening. The coronation 
itself was followed by a grand banquet in the hall. When the 
king was seated, three noblemen, each in virtue of the office he 
held in the king's household, rode on horseback into the hall, and 
waited there while the pages placed the dishes on the royal table. 

3. They then retired, backing their horses out of the hall — a 
piece of difficult horsemanship, but which their well-trained 
chargers performed admirably. The spectators were scarcely re- 
covered from the excitement of this exhibition, when the sound 
of trumpets gave the signal of a new apj^roach ; and a horseman, 
clad in full armor like the knights of old, rode into the hall. This 
was the king's champion. 

4. He was preceded by an officer called a herald, arrayed in his 
tabard, an outer garment of velvet, upon which the king's arms are 
richly embroidered in gold. In old times, this officer was one of 
considerable consequence, but his chief duties at present are to keep 
the records of the genealogy of noble families, to read the proclama- 
tions of the king, and to bear a part in public ceremonies, such as 
coronations, royal funerals, &c. 

5. The duty of the herald, on the present occasion, was to read 
the challenge of the champion, defying to single combat any who 
dared to dispute the king's title to the throne. The champion then 
threw down his gauntlet, or iron glove, which was given to him 
again ; and this ceremony of reading the challenge, and throwing 
down the gauntlet, was repeated three times. 

6. If any person had been disposed to dispute the king's title, he 
could have signified his acceptance of the challenge, by taking up 
the gauntlet. But no one did this on the present occasion : so, 
having drank the king's health from a gold cup, which he retained 
as his guerdon, or fee, he backed his horse out of the hall. 

7. This custom had its origin in times when it was usual to submit 
tlie decision of disjnited questions to trial by combat. It is now an 
unmeaning ceremony, and has been dispensed with at coronations 

CCXVII. — 1. In what did George IV. indulge his taste for display ? Give an account 
of the coronation. 3,4,5,6. Wliat of the cliampion? Who delivered the challenge? 



DEATH OF QUEEN CAROLINE. — 1821. 427 

since that of George IV. Though everything about him was as mag- 
nificent as his heart could desire, yet the king must have been far 
from receiving any real satisfaction from the display. 

8. In the first place, the expenditure of the enormous sum of 
nearly a million and a half of dollars upon a mere ceremony, when 
the people were loaded with taxes, and in many parts of the king- 
dom were actually suffering for want of food, gave rise to loud 
complaints. But the king's greatest vexation was occasioned by 
the queen. She had demanded to be crowned at the same time 
with himself; but this was refused, as was also her demand to be 
present on that occasion. 

9. She declared that she would be there in spite of this refusal. 
It was generally supposed that this was a mere threat, and that she 
would not so far forget her dignity as to force herself into the king's 
presence at such a time, and in such a place. Yet this was her real 
determination ; and, on the morning of the coronation, she went to 
the Abbey at an early hour, and demanded to be allowed to enter; 
but being refused admittance at all the avenues, she was obliged to 
retire. 

10. Upon this, her partisans set up loud and discordant cries, 
which were heard by those in the Abbey, and caused an alarm lest 
the ceremony should be interrupted by some popular outrage ; but 
the populace contented themselves with breaking some of the min- 
isters' windows. The poor queen returned in sadness to her residence. 
This last mortification had broken her heart. Her health declined 
from that day, and she died on the 7th of August. 

11. She left directions that her body should be taken to Bruns- 
wick, in Germany, for interment, and that the inscription on her 
coffin should be — " Here lies Caroline of Brunswick, the injured 
Queen of England." The animosity of the king was not appeased 
by the death of his victim. Her body, instead of being treated with 
the honors appropriate to her rank, was subjected to insult. 

12. The procession, which attended it on the way to Harwich, 
where it was to be embarked for the continent, was ordered not to 
pass through the city of London. But the populace were resolved 
that it should pass through the city, and at last, by tearing up the 
pavements, placing trees across the roads, and otherwise obstructing 
them, and after a series of conflicts, in which two persons lost their 
lives, they effected their purpose. Thus was this most solemn of 
spectacles turned into a scene of uproar; and it seemed as if even 
death could not give peace to the unconscious remains of this un- 
fortunate woman. 

Wliat of heralds? 8. AVhat impaired the king's satisfaction? 9. Relate the remaining 
events of the queen's life. 12. What happened at her funeral ? 



428 THE KING VISITS IRELAND AND SCOTLAND. 



CHAPTER CCXVIII. 

The King visits Ireland and Scotlnnd. — Description of a Highlander's 

Dress. 

1. The king did not display the hypocrisy of grieving at an event 
which removed a thorn that had long festered in his heart. He did 
not even regard the common requisitions of decorum ; and, while the 
queen lay yet unburied, he set olF for Dublin, the chief city of Ire- 
land, where he was received by the lively inhabitants with a glow 
of joy, which must have been quite grateful to him after the unpopu- 
larity to which he had been accustomed at home. 

2. After spending a month in Ireland, he returned to England, and 
on the 20th of September he embarked for Hanover. Here the cere- 
mony of coronation, as King of Hanover, was performed, amidst the 
most brilliant festivals. The next year he visited Scotland. Here, 
too, nothing could exceed the apparent joyousness of his reception. 
No king had visited Scotland since Charles II.'s unhappy sojourn 
there io 1650 ; and it seemed as if the Scots were trying to make 
amends to George IV. for the mortifications his predecessor had un- 
dergone. 

3. Tlie king himself, also, by the grace and graciousness of his 
manners, and his evident solicitude to please, showed himself desirous 
to win the good will of his subjects, flattering, on all occasions, the 
self-love of the people he visited, by adopting some of their national 
and popular customs. In Ireland, lie drank healths in Irish whiskey ; 
at Hanover, he spoke German ; and in Edinburgh, he appeared in 
the full costume of a Highland chief, wearing the Stuart tartan, or 
plaid. 

4. Each of the principal clans, or families, in Scotland, was dis- 
tinguished by the color and arrangement of the stripes in the tartan, 
and until the rising in 1745, there had been little change in the 
fashion of a Highlander's dress since the time of the Roman inva- 
sion of the island. In 1745, one of the expedients adopted by 
government to break up the attachment of the clansmen to their 
chief, was that of forbidding them to wear their ancient dress. 

5. Though well suited to the habits of the Highlanders as they 
were then, it was ill adapted to agricultural and other peaceful pur- 
suits which the government hoped to introduce. They wore no 
breeches, but a short petticoat of striped woollen cloth, called tartan, 
reaching from the waist to the knee; this was the philitteg ; their 
stockings, generally of the same tartan, were usually gartered be- 
low the knee, which was left bare to allow more freedom in run- 
ning. 

CCXVIII.— 1. What of the conJiict of the king after the queen's death? What excur- 
sion did be set out upon? How received in Ireland? 2. What other visits did he make? 
3. How did the king seek to gain popularity? In what dress did he appear in Scotland? 
5. Describe the dress of a Highlander. 



PROJECTS AND SPECULATIONS. — 1824. 429 

6. The body was clothed in a short close jacket, and over this 
was thrown, in graceful folds, a roll of light tartan, called the plaid, 
which generally Avas six yards in length, and two in breadth, and 
coming closely round the right side, was usually fastened on and 
thrown back over the left shoulder, leaving the right arm at per- 
fect liberty. The weaving, dyeing, and preparing the tartan stuffs 
formed the principal employment of the females of each clan. 

7. On the head was worn a dark-blue bonnet, made of light 
woollen cloth, in which a sprig of heather was often placed ; or an 
eagle's feather, if the wearer were a gentleman of rank ; or two 
feathers, if he were a chief In front of the philibeg, was the 
sporran, or purse, by the right side of which hung the dirk. On 
the other side was the claymore, a basket-bilted broad-sword. 

8. Imagine an iron musket slung to the back, and a round target, 
or shield, covered with tough hide, and having a long iron spike firmly 
screwed into the centre, on the left arm, and you have a Highlander 
in complete costume. As the occasion of his visit was peaceful, 
George IV. omitted the warlike part of the equipment. The rage 
for the tartan spread through the kingdom ; and the brilliant colors 
and stripes of the Stuart, imitated in silks and velvets, figured on 
the backs of good London dames, who would have trembled at the 
bare idea of meeting a real living Highlander. 



CHAPTER CCXIX. 

A Year of Projects results in much Distress. — The Coinage of England. 

1. The year 1824 was a year of projects and speculations, some 
of which might remind us of the philosophers of Laputa in Gulli- 
ver's Travels. There were companies for supplying London with 
milk and with fish, and others for washing all the dirty clothes of 
the city. There was an association for cutting a canal through the 
Isthmus of Darien, and projects for railroads without number. 
The greater portion of these schemes came to nothing, and the 
latter part of the year 1825 was marked by disappointed specula- 
tions and general distress. 

2. The Bank of England itself was on the very point of suspend- 
ing its payments, and was reduced almost to its last sovereign, as the 
gold coin of the value of a pound sterling is called, and which has 
taken the place of the "golden guinea," of which we so often read; 
a coin, by the way, no longer in circulation. When Caesar landed 
in the island, bits of brass and iron, and iron rings of a fixed 
weight, were the only money used by the Britons. 

3. Within a century from this time, money, in imitation of that of 
the Romans, was coined there. The coins of Cunobeline, a British 

CCXIX. — 1. For wliat was the year 1824 distinguished? 2. What was used for money 



430 THE COINAGE OF ENGLAND. 

king, who was contemporary witli the Roman emperor Tiberius, 
and who died A. D. 37, are to be found in some collections; but 
they are so rare and valuable, that no collector has yet been disin- 
terested enough to sacrifice one ot them for the sake of ascertaining 
the proportion of silver or of alloy which they contain. 

4. Alloy is a certain quantity of some harder and baser metal, 
which must be mixed with gold and silver, to give the coin suffi- 
cient firmness to take a strojig impression, and to resist the wear of 
circulation ; gold and silver being of too soft a nature. It is also 
found necessary that the coin should be of somewhat less than its 
nominal value, to prevent its being melted down and sold as 
bullion, whenever bullion, from any cause, is much in demand. 

5. Bullion is the general name for the precious metals, that is, 
for gold and silver. The first money that can properly be called 
English was coined in the seventh century, by Ethelbert, King of 
Kent. It was called a penny, from the Latin word pendo, which 
signifies to weigh, and contained as much silver as equalled twenty 
grains of wheat, taken from the middle of the ear; and this is the 
origin of the weight called a grain, which is neither more nor less 
than a grain of wheat. 

6. The coins of Ethelbert were marked with a cross, as a symbol 
of Christianity ; a practice which was continued till the time of the 
Commonwealth, when it was left off. In imitation of the Romans, 
the superscription on the coins was in Latin. This practice also 
was left oif during the time of the Commonwealth, but was resumed 
at the restoration. The Anglo-Saxons divided the silver penny into 
half-pence, and fourf kings, or farthings. 

7. The nominal money of the Anglo-Saxons was the pound, com- 
puted at 240 pence, the mark, at 100 pence, and the shilling, at 
three pence. It is hard to say what the value of the penny was, 
compared with money at the present time. Two pennies and a 
fourthing would, in the time of Edward the Confessor, buy a bushel 
of wheat, which, at the present day, costs nearly two dollars. The 
silver penny continued to be the principal currency for some time 
after the Conquest. 

8. Henry III. introduced groats, or great pennies, worth four 
pence each. He also coined the first English gold money of which 
we have any authentic account. It was called the gold penny, and 
was valued at twenty silver pennies. It was afterwards raised to 
twenty-four pence, and was called a rgal, that is, royal. The 
people did not fancy this gold money, and it did not long continue 
in circulation. 

9. Gold coin was at this time very rare all over Europe, excejit 
what was coined by the Greek emperors at Constantinople, or Byzan- 
tium, as it was then called, and hence called Bezants, or Byzantine 
money. Afterwards a gold coin, called a /o?'u?, from the Latin word 
/os, /o?t'er, because it had a lily stamped on it, came into use on the 

in Britain when Cfesar landed there? 3. What coin was used next? 4. Wliat is alloy? 
5. What is bullion? Whence the name penny ? Whence the name grain? Whence the 
name farthing? 7. What wa^ the nominal nioney of the Anglo-Saxons? 8. What coins 
did Henry III. introduce? 9. What of gold coins? Whence the name florin? Whence 



THE COINAGE OF ENGLAND. 431 

continent; and Edward III. coined, in imitation of it, a-florence, so 
called because an artificer from the city of Florence, in Italy, was 
employed in the coinage. 

10. In 1346, he coined a gold piece called a noble, in commemora- 
tion, as is supposed, of a naval victory he gained over the French. 
On one side is represented the king standing in a ship. The work- 
manship of this coin is very neat, and gold nobles are now much 
esteemed by collectors for their beauty and their rarity. Henry VII. 
issued a gold coin called an angel, because it bore on one side the 
figure of an angel killing a dragon. The angel was calculated at 
eight shillings. 

11. Henry VIII. issued a magnificent gold coin called a sovereign; 
having on one side a full length figure of the king seated on his 
throne, and on the other a double rose, for the houses of York and 
Lancaster. Henry VIII. 's coins were as large in proportion as his 
sleeves or his shoes ; but they diminished in value, though they in- 
creased in size ; for he increased very much the quantity of alloy, 
and then required his subjects to take the debased coin at the value 
of pure coin. 

12. The coin continued debased till the reign of Elizabeth, though 
its quality was a little improved after Mary's marriage, benefited, as 
it is said, by the twenty-seven chests of silver from the New World, 
which Philip carried with him to England. Elizabeth called in all 
the base coin, and re]>laced it with good money at the public cost. 
This measure is said to have been advised by Burleigh, who said, 
"that a monarchy was only to be sustained by sound and solid 
courses." 



CHAPTER CCXX. 

The Coinage of England — continued. 

1. The coinage of Charles I. presents a greater variety than that 
of any other English sovereign, and a review of it may almost show 
us the changes of his fortune. In the early part of his reign, his 
coins were very beautiful, and his taste and skill in the fine arts 
may be observed in their designs. As his troubles increased, both 
the design and execution of his coins were less attended to, and many 
of those of the latter jnirt of his reign are little more than i)ieces of 
silver cut to the projier weiglit, and stamped with some rude mark. 

2. On some of these coins is still to be seen the pattern of the cup 
and salver from which they were hastily cut. This money is called 
" siege money," and "■ necessity money." There is some money of 
James II. which shows still stronger indications of a distressed fortune. 

that of floienco? 10. Wliat coin did Ilonr.v VIT. issuu? 11. What coin did Henry VIII. 
have executed? 12. Whut of the value of his coin ? What did Klizabeth do in regard to 
coin? 



432 THE COINAGE OF ENGLAND. 

This money was coined in Ireland, not long before the battle of the 
Boyne. It was of copper, and was made to pass for shillings, al- 
though each piece was not really worth more than a half-penny. 

3. This money is called "gun money," because it was chiefly 
coined from old guns. It is said that, these failing, the kitchens of 
Dublin were also made to contribute, and that many a cook was 
robbed of her saucepans for the royal mint, which is the name given 
to the establishment for coining. It is to be remarked to Charles' 
credit, that he never, in his greatest distress, resorted to the expe- 
dient of debasing the coin. 

4. The coins of the Commonwealth are remarkable for their 
clumsiness and want of taste. In spite of their ugliness, they are, 
however, valued for their rarity, having been called in at the resto- 
ration. Cromwell struck a very fine coinage with his own head 
upon it; but this, we believe, was never circulated. Charles II. 
made a great alteration in the coinage, and the figure of Britannia, 
borne by the copper half-pennies, is said to be a representation of a 
court beauty, the Duchess of Richmond. 

5. The guinea made its first appearance in the reign of Charles II. 
It was so called because the gold which furnished the first coinage 
was principally brought from the coast of Guinea, in Africa. It 
might have been in allusion to this, that it bears the figure of an 
elephant on one side. It was originally worth twenty shillings, but 
in 1728 it was raised to the value of twenty-one shillings. 

6. The coinage of the last century was ill executed, the impres- 
sions soon wore away, and the shillings and sixpences were little 
better than flat bits of silver. The copper coin, too, was very bad, 
and not bad only, but very scarce ; and many trades-people issued, 
for their own convenience, both silver and copper tokens, which 
were by fjir the best-looking money in circulation. In 1797, a new 
copper coinage appeared ; but many of these were soon melted down 
for the sake of the copper, which rose to a very high price. 

7. This was the year in which the Bank of England stopped pay- 
ments in coin, and" issued one-pound or twenty-shilling notes. As 
there was no longer any demand for gold coins to circulate, they 
soon disappeared, and such a thing was rarely seen, except a stray 
guinea here and there. They were melted down and sent out of 
the country, or put away safely at home by those good, careful 
people, who feared an invasion by the French, that they might 
have a store against time of need. 

8. The bank notes had not, in themselves, any value, as gold and 
silver have ; at least, no more value than any other pieces of paper 
of the same size ; their value was derived from tlie confidence which 
the people had that they would some day be redeemed with gold or 
silver. If the bank had been liable to pay gold or silver for them 
as soon as they were issued, then of course but a limited amount could 



CCXX.— 1. What of the coinage of Charles I.? 3. What is gun money? 4. What 
of tlie Commonwealth's coin? What of Charles II.'s ? 5. Wlience the name guinea? 
6. What of the coins of the last century ? 8. What of bank notes ? 9. What is the value 
of a Bovereign ? 



THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. 433 

have been circulated, dependent upon the quantity of gold and 
silver it possessed. 

9. The notes in such case would always be worth as much as they 
purported to be; but when this restriction was removed, the notes 
were issued in excess, and lowered in value, so that at one time a 
guinea in gold was worth twenty-eight shillings in paper. In 1817, 
the currency (a general name for that which is current, or circulates 
as money) was again restored to a sound state; although the bank 
did not resume payment till some time afterwards. The guineas 
were called in, and sovereigm issued. This coin is worth twenty 
shillings, or, in our money, four dollars and eighty cents. 



CHAPTER CCXXI. 

The Princess Charlotte marries Leopold of Saxe- Cobiirg.—Her Death. 
— Lord Liverpool. — Catholic Emancipation and Reform. 

1. The king had one daughter, born to him in 1796, who is 
known in history as the Princess Charlotte. Immediately after the 
allied armies had replaced Louis on the throne of France, in 1814, 
the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia, with the most dis- 
tinguished officers and generals who had served in the war, and 
attended by a host of young princes, who had little of worldly pos- 
sessions, besides the uniforms ujjon their backs, visited England. 
To these the young heiress of the British empire could not fail to 
be an object of admiration. 

2. One among them attracted the attention of the princess by the 
elegance of his person and the grace of his manners. Leopold, a 
younger son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, a German prince, whose 
dominions contained about as many inhabitants as a good-sized 
city, having offered his services to Napoleon, which were declined, 
had attached himself to the Emj)eror Alexander of Russia, in whose 
suite he now visited England. He did not reject the proffered love 
of the princess, and although his rank by birth was not so high as 
to lead him to aspire to this honor, neither was it so low as to cause 
any objection on her father's part. 

3. The princess was restricted, in the choice of a husband, to a 
very narrow circle. State policy would not allow her to marry a 
subject of England ; and n law made at the revolution forbade her 
marrying any pei'son who was not of the Protestant faith in re- 
ligion. Now this is professed only in Denmark, Norway, and 
Sweden, and some of the German states, of which number Saxe- 
Coburg happens to be one. The jjrincess was married in 1816 • 
but she enjoyed only a short period of domestic happiness, for she 
died in 1817, leaving no child. 

CCXXI.— 1. IIiul Goori;!^ IV. .iii.v children? Whom did the Princess Charlotte marry? 



434 CATHOLIC emancipation — reform. — 1828. 

4. Though Leopold was disappointed in his hopes of being husband 
of the Queen of England, he was yet born to be a king; for, after 
declining the crown of the new kingdom of Greece, which was olFered 
him in 1828, he accepted that of Belgium, anotlier new kingdom, 
formed from a part of Holland, in 1830, and not long after, he mar- 
ried a daughter of the King of the French. But Let^pold's connec- 
tion with the royal family of England was kept up by tiie marriage 
of his sister to tlie Duke of Kent, fourth son of George III. 

5. After the death of the Princess Charlotte, the Duke of York, 
second son ot George HI., became the heir presumptive to the 
throne. Mark the distinction between heir apparent and heir pre- 
mimptive. The king's eldest son is an heir apparent, because nothing 
but. his own death before that of his father can deprive him of the 
succession to the crown ; but if there be no son, some other relation 
of the king is heir to the crown. Such person is called the heir pre- 
sumptive, because his right may be defeated by the birth of a son. 

6. The Duke of York died in 1827, leaving no children, and 
William, Duke of Clarence, became heir presumptive to the crown. 
The king had always been fond of the Duke of York, and his death 
was a severe blow. It was followed by another, in the illness of the 
Earl of Liverpool, who had been j)rime minister ever since the 
murder of Mr. I'ercival, in 1812. Though not a man of genius, he 
was laborious and persevering, and his integrity of character gave 
him great inlluence. 

7. He was succeeded by Mr. Canning, who died in a few months, 
and was succeeded by Lord Goderich, who was sujjerseded, in Jan- 
uary, 1828, by the Duke of Wellington. Two great questions 
agitated the public mind at this time, commonly called the ques- 
tions of Catholic Emancipation and of Reform. In the reigns of 
Elizabeth and James I., very severe laws had been passed against 
the Catholics, and these had been followed by others c<f the same 
character in the subsequent reigns, iu apprehension of a popish 
successor to the crown. 

8. The actual penalties inflicted by these laws had been repealed, 
but the disabilities for holding a seat in either house of parliament, 
and to admission to various otiices, still remained. These were felt 
to be a very great grievance, especially in Ireland, where the Catho- 
lics far outnumbered the Protestants. At the union with Ireland 
in 1800, Mr. I'itt had promised the removal of these disabilities; 
but George III. would never consent to the measure. 

9. The country was kept in a state of continual excitement by 
this question, and the contests between the friends and opponents 
of this measure were carried on with the greatest asperity. The 
bill for tlie repeal was repeatedly passed by the house of commons, 
and as often rejected by the lords, chiefly through the influence of 
the bishops of the church of P^ngland, who, by law, have seats and 
votes in that house. 



W^bat of Lrnpoltl ? .'). Wliat is t!ii> iliffcn-ufe ln'twcoii Iieir apiiaiL'nt anil hi-ir pi-csumi)- 
live? 6. What ol' Lc.nl LivtM|i." I? 7. What quostions agir^itfd England ? Wliat of thu 
laws against Catholics? 'J. \\li;!t of the contest about Catholic oniancipation ? 10. What 
wan the final result V 



THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 435 

10. At last the popular will became too strong to be despised, and 
the Duke of Wellington, taking the matter up as a government 
measure, procured the passage of the bill through both houses. But 
it was not yet the law of the land, because, by the British constitu- 
tion, no bill,' though passed by both houses of parliament, is a law, 
unless it be approved by the king. The king's assent in the present 
case was given April 13th, 1829. 



CHAPTER CCXXII. 

Reform in the House of Commons. — History of this Body. 

1. Ik the earliest times of English history of Avhich we have any 
record, there were assemblies of the people to deliberate on matters 
of national interest ; but it was not till about 1266 that the peoj)le 
were summoned by the king to appear by representatives in the 
great council of the nation. The king had a twofold object in view; 
he wished to raise up a jiower which should counterbalance the 
power of the great barons ; and he also wished to obtain supplies 
of money from the growing wealth of the people. 

2. There were three classes to be represented in this branch of 
the legislature. First, the large body of lesser barons, who held 
land of the king, by knight service, that is, upon condition of serv- 
ing him in the field in time of war. These were too numerous and 
too poor to be all called to parliament and to rank with the great 
barons. They were therefore summoned to appear by two represen- 
tatives from each county, or shire. The representatives of counties 
retain the appellation of knights of the shire to this day, though now 
chosen without reference to this qualification. 

3. In those days of timid navigation, the sea-ports nearest to the 
continent were deemed of great importance for the defence of the 
kingdom. Of the principal j)orts there were five, hence called cinque 
ports — cinquehem^ the French for five. These were bound to fur- 
nish fifty-seven vessels, each manned with twenty-one sailors. It is 
curious to contrast these ships of war with the mighty fabrics 
manned with 1000 men each, which now defend these coasts ! 

4. Bo important was this service deemed at that time, that the 
citizens held the rank of barons, and had two representatives in 
parliament, still called barom^ of the cinque ports. Lastly, there 
were the towns, or borouglis, inhabited by the merchants and traders, 
who governed themselves l)y virtue of charters of the king, and 
were not subject to any great baron. The king summoned such of 

CCXXII. — 1. What of assemblies of the people in olil times? Wlien were commons 
summoned to send representatives? 2. What tliree classes were to be represented f 
AVhat of the knights? 4. Wliat of tlie eiiiqiie |,,)its? 5. Wliat of tlie Iioronghs? 



436 THE ROTTEN BOROUGH SYSTEM. 

these as he pleased to send representatives, but he would naturally 
select the most important. 

5. The people of a borough are called burgesses, a name yet re- 
tained by this class of representatives in parliament. The house of 
commons possessed but little influence at that time, and it was very 
expensive living at London, and not a little dangerous to travel 
through the country, so that it was considered a great hardship to 
serve as a member. Besides, the summons was a sure prelude to a 
demand for money. 

6. But when the house of commons became of consequence as a 
check upon the power of the king, it was necessary to restrict him 
in the right which he had at first enjoyed of summoning such places 
as he pleased, and to require him to issue summonses to all which 
had usually been summoned, and to no others. In the course of 
ages, great changes took place in the relative importance of places, 
and strange anomalies were the consequence. 

7. The great city of Manchester had no representative in parlia- 
ment, whilst perhaps a barren common, where the form of an elec- 
tion must be gone through with under a tree, because there was no 
house within the limits of the borough, gave its owner a right to 
send two. The right liad originally been given to a certain extent 
of territory, chartered as a borough, and at the time populous; but 
by a change in the course of trade, or some other cause, it had since 
been deserted by its inhabitants, but it still retained its right to send 
representatives. 

8. In rude times, the manufectures of iron, tin, &c. had made 
Cornwall comparatively very rich ; hence it contained within its 
limits a great number of boroughs; but commerce, and the rise of 
more important branches of manufacture, had rendered this district 
very poor as compared with others. These poor boroughs, commonly 
known as rotten boroughs, were, for the most part, owned by rich 
noblemen who appointed the representatives. 

9. These rotten boroughs, that is, the right to appoint members of 
the house of commons, were bought and sold just like any other 
piece of property. Thus the house of commons, instead of being, 
as it purported to be, a representation of the gi'eat body of the peo- 
ple, was, to a certain extent at least, a representation of the aristoc- 
racy, the very body whose power it was designed to check. It had 
long been the leading object with the liberal or ivhig party to bring 
about a reform in this matter. 

10. The friends of the measure had to contend in the house of 
commons against those who would lose their seats, and in the house 
of lords against those who would lose their property by the proposed 
change, which was to transfer the right of sending representatives 
from the rotten boroughs to those towns which were now not repre- 
sented at all, or very inadequately in proportion to their jjopula- 
tion and wealth. 



6. By what means did representation become iinpcuial? 7, S. Wbat instances of ino- 
qiiality? What of the rotten borouglis? 10. With whom liad tlie friends of reform to 
contend ? 



CHANGE IN THE HABITS OF GEORGE IV. 



437 



11. This had been the great question in dispute between the two 
parties for more than half a century. The clamors of the people for 
a reform had been growing louder and louder, and the eflorts of its 
friends in parliament more constant and vigorous. It had now be- 
come evident that a reform must be made, but it did not take place 
during the reign of George IV. 



CHAPTER CCXXIII. 

Great Change in the Habits of Qeorge IV. — His Death. — Improve- 
ments in London during his JRegency and Reign. — Use of Steamboats 
and Raihvays introduced. 




PAVILION ON LONDON BRIDGE. 

1. A LOVE of seclusion had for some years been growing upon the 
king. He lived chiefly in what was called the Cottage, in Windsor 
Park, in the society of a few friends, his principal amusement being 
that of sailing about, or fishing, in a small lake called Virginia 
Water, or in driving about the grounds attached to the castle in a pony 
carriage. All solitary habits gain strength by indtdgence, and at 
last he could not bear to be seen even by casual passers-by on the road. 



CCXXIII.— 1. What change in George IV.'s habits? 3. When did ho die? 
37* 



438 DEATH OF GEORGE IV. 1830. 

2. Before he set out on his drives, persons were despatched on 
horseback to see that the road was clear, and if not, he would turn 
another way. To avoid, however, as much as possible, this neces- 
sity, his favorite drives were carefully jjlanted with trees and 
shrubs, so as to be screened from the public eye. In the sjjring of 
1830, his infirmities made retirement from public life less a matter 
of choice than of necessity. The very slightest exertion became 
jiainful to him. 

3. It was evident to his physicians that he had not long to live, 
and this opinion was communicated to him. He received the inti- 
mation with firmness, and bore his sufferings with fortitude. He 
could not bear any mention of business, saying, " I have done with 
politics now." He expired on the 26th of June, 1830, in the 68th 
year of his age, having reigned ten years, but having governed the 
country nearly twenty years. 

4. George IV.'s love of display and magnificence sometimes led to 
good results. It was one immediate cause of very great improve- 
ments which took place in London under his government. A large 
tract of ground, containing about 450 acres, had been leased to indi- 
viduals ever since the reign of Charles II., and used for pasture- 
fields, with sheds for cattle, and a few mean buildings. 

5. When the leases expired, George, then regent, would not allow 
them to be renewed, but caused the lands to be laid out as a pleasure- 
ground, with drives and walks, and to be jjlanted with trees ; and on 
the sides of it were erected beautiful houses. It is called the Re- 
gent's Park. He also caused alterations to be made in the other 
royal j^arks in London, which added much to their beauty ; for he 
possessed an excellent taste in such matters. 

6. His example gave an impulse to the sj^irit of improvement in 
his subjects, and narrow streets and mean houses gave place to wide 
avenues and elegant edifices. The brilliancy of the streets was very 
much increased by the introduction, about 1815, of gas-lights, in 
place of the old oil lamps. Other great imjDrovements took place in 
Great Britain under the rule of George IV. Steamboats were 
introduced into general use. 

7. Experiments had been made at various times to devise some 
method for applying the power of steam to the movement of vessels. 
Robert Fulton, our own countryman, was the first who succeeded 
on a large scale, about the year 1807. The first steamboats were 
used in Great Britain in 1812. The first railway for purposes of 
general transportation was planned, and for the most part con- 
structed, in the reign of George IV., though not opened till a few 
months after his death. 

8. As long ago as 1680, the coal miners at Newcastle had found 
it useful to lay down two parallel I'ows of timber, for the wheels of 
carriages, which bore the coals from the mines to the places where 
they were shipped to market, to run U2:)on. From hence they were 
introduced into other mining districts, and the obvious improvement 

was his ago? How long did ho govern England? 4. What change took place in Lon- 
don? C. When was gas introduced for lighting streets ? 7. When whs the first steam- 



WILLIAM IV. ]83(t. 439 

of substituting iron rails for the wooden timber was made. They 
were drawn by horses till 1824, when steam engines were intro- 
duced to move the carriages on the railways at Newcastle. 

9. But the first railway established on a large scale was one be- 
tween Liverpool and Manchester; the latter, the great centre of the 
cotton cloth manufacture, and the former the port at which the raw 
cotton is received from the United States, Brazil, and other countries 
Avhere it grows, and from whence the manufactured cloth is shipped 
to all parts of the world. This railway was opened, Sepjtembcr 
15th, 1830, amid a great concourse of visitors and spectators. 

10. The Duke of Wellington, then prime minister, and a large 
number of distinguished noblemen and commoners, were present on 
the occasion, and went by the first train. But the scene was ren- 
dered very painful by the fatal accident which befell Mr. Huskisson, 
one of the most eminent statesmen of the country. He had got out 
of the carriage at the place where it stopped to take in a supply of 
water, and was standing and holding the door. Another engine 
passing, struck the open door, and threw Mr. Huskisson under the 
wheel, which passed over his leg, and injured him so much as to 
cause his death in a few hours. 

11. Railways now traverse the country in various parts; and one 
may be carried, in almost any direction from London, as far in one 
hour, as he could have been, a century and a half ago, in a whole 
day by the coaches, Avhich, on account of their superiority in speed 
over all that had been known previously, were called "Flying 
coaches." 



CHAPTER CCXXIV. 

William IV. — The Reform Bill passes the House of Commons, but is 
rejected by the Lords. — Great Riots in consequence. — The Cholera 
appears in England. 

1. William Henry, Duke of Clarence, third son of George III., 
was nearly sixty years old when he succeeded his brother, George 
IV., on the throne. He is said to have been a remarkably engaging 
child ; and he retained through life an open simplicity of disposition 
and manners. At the age of thirteen he was sent to sea ; and though 
he had no opportunity of distinguishing himself in any action of 
importance, he gave evidence that he was not wanting in courage. 

2. He entered the navy as a midshipman, and passed through 
the various grades of the service up to that of Lord High Admiral, 
or commander-in-chief, under the king, of all the naval forces of 
Great Britain. This office had not been held by any individual, 

boat used in Great Britain? 8. What of the use of railways at collieries? 9. Between 
what places was the first railway on a large scale constructed? When was it opened? 
10. What fatal accident happened ? 
CCXXIV. — 1. What was William IV.'s age when he camo to the throne? Relate the 



440 RIOTS IN ENGLAND. 1831. 

with the exception of a single year, since 1708, when it was held by 
George, Prince of Denmarlc, husband of Queen Anne. In 1827, the 
otttce was revived for the heir to the throne; and the manner in 
which he discharged its duties gained for him the affection of all 
ranks in the service. 

3. But he was veiy lavish in the expenditure of money, and upon 
receiving a remonstrance from the Duke of Wellington in respect 
to this, he resigned the otHce, after having held it about a year. 
It might have been expected that the Duke of Wellington's con- 
duct on this occasion would have caused some coldness towards 
him from the new monarch ; but the king was incapable of main- 
taining such a feeling. 

4. At the first meeting of the council he made known to the duke 
his entire approval of his conduct and principles. But whatever 
might be the king's private wishes, he could not retain the Duke of 
Wellington and his tory friends in office. By granting the Catho- 
lic emancipation, they had lost the support of a large party, and by 
refusing to grant a reform in the commons, they had failed to gain 
the support of a new party. 

5. In the new parliament, which met soon after the accession of 
the king, there was a majority in the house of commons against the 
ministers, which showed that the people did not approve their con- 
duct, and they, in consequence, resigned their oftices. The whigs 
now came into office, with Earl Grey at their head. A bill for a 
reform in the representation was introduced, but met with so much 
opposition in the house of commons, that the ministers resolved to 
dissolve this parliament, though it had only been in existence a few 
months. 

6. The new elections were carried on in the most tumultuous 
manner, both parties striving to the utmost to secure a majority. 
It resulted in giving to the friends of reform a majority of one hun- 
dred and nine. But the bill, though passed by the house of com- 
mons, was rejected by the house of lords. This rejection caused 
great discontent in every part of the country. In London, a great 
mob collected, and made assaults upon the persons and houses of 
various tory noblemen ; amongst the rest, of the Duke of Wellington. 

7. Nottingham Castle, once a royal residence, but now become the 
property of a tory, was destroyed. The riot at Bristol exceeded 
everything of the kind that had been heard of in any part of the king- 
dom, since the great riots in London in 1780. All the public build- 
ings and a large numberof private houses were destroyed, and many 
lives were lost before the storm could be quelled, for which purpose 
it was necessary to make use of a large body of troops. 

8. The people formed themselves into societies, called unions, in 
which a large portion of the inhabitants enrolled themselves. The 
object of these unions was to intimidate the legislature to pass the 
Reform Bill, chiefly by holding out a threat of refusing to pay any 

previous incidents of liis life. 4. Wiiat of tlie tory ministry ? 5. What happened upon the 
meeting of tlie new parliament? 6. What of the Reform Bill? How did the people re- 
ceive its rejection? 7. What riots are mentioned? 8. What of unions? What disease 
appeared ? 9. What of its progress ? 



PASSAGE OF THE REFORM BILL. 1832. 



441 



taxes. To add to the gloom which hung over the country, a disease, 
since known as the cholera, broke out at Sunderland. 

9. This malady seemed to be the same as one of that name which 
had appeared in Bengal, in Asia, about the year 1817, and had after- 
wards desolated a large portion of India. Spreading to the west, it 
continued its ravages, and at length reached Warsaw, in Poland, in 
April, 1831, and the city of Hamburg in the October following. 
The first cases which occurred at Sunderland were on the 26th of 
the same mouth. From thence it spread over Great Britain, and it 
did not cease till the autumn of 1832. In 1848, this disease again 
visited Europe, but its ravages were not extensive. 



CHAPTER CCXXV. 

Reform in the House of Commons. — Of the different Political Parties. 
— Death of William IV. — Accession of Victoria. — Her Marriage. — 
Recent important Events.— Character of the English. 



\<y^ riTif rrr^t A rrp! 




QUEEN VICTORIA GOING TO OPEN PARLIAMENT. 

1. The Reform Bill was passed without difficulty through the 
new parliament, for the lords who were opposed to it, fearing any 
longer to resist the will of the people, left their seats when the 
question came up for discussion ; and it finally received the royal 
assent, June 7th, 1832. The first parliament under the new law 
was elected in the autumn of the same year. 

CCXXV.— 1. When did the Reform Bill receive the royal assent? 2. What measure 



442 DKATH OF WILLIAM IV. — 18::7. 

2. The reformed parliament proceeded to make various improve- 
ments ; the principal one was the abolition of slavery in the British 
West India Islands ; the owners of the slaves being allowed twenty- 
millions of 2:)Ounds sterling, nearly one hundred millions of dollars, 
as an indemnification for the loss they would thus sustain. 

3. The king, to whom the conduct of })ublic affairs appears to 
have been for some time distastel'ul, in Kovember, 1834, dismissed 
the whigs from office, and gave the reins of government to the 
tories, at the head of whom were the Duke of Wellington and Sir 
liobert Peel ; the latter being a man of great abilities, and of enor- 
mous wealth, which he inherited from his father, who had gained it 
by his own industry as a manufacturer of cotton cloth. 

4. As there was known to be a majority against the new adminis- 
tration in the parliament, it was dissolved, and a new one summoned. 
The greatest exertions were made by the tories or Consei-vaHves, as 
they were now called, (because they were opposed to alterations iu 
the constitution, and for preserving it as it was,) in the elections; 
but their adversaries were too strong for them, and, after holding 
office for a few months, they resigned, and the whigs were restored, 
Lord Melbourne being the prime minister. 

5. The party which still retained the title of whig was strength- 
ened during the whole of these struggles by various adherents of very 
difterent classes of opinion. Of these, some were the advocates of a 
still more extensive reform in the house of commons, and of great 
changes in the constitution of the church, and in other institutions. 
This party was known as the Badieais. The Liberals were those 
who attached less weight to the forms of government than to its 
si)irit and priucii)les. 

G. The whigs also received the support of the Irish members, at 
the head of whom stood Daniel O'Connell, a man of great energy, 
and impassioned eloquence, and possessed of an extraordinary degree 
of personal influence with his countrymen. The leading, avowed 
object of this party was to ]M-ocure a repeal of the act of union 
between Ireland and England, which they regarded as the cause of 
the depressed state of Ireland, and of the degraded condition of the 
great body of the people of that country, it being now governed 
by a jmrliament in which English influence predominates. 

' 7. By the aid of these several parties, Lord Melbourne maintained 
his place during the remainder of this reign, which was terminated 
by the death of the king, June 20th, 1837. As William IV. leit no 
children, he was succeeded by the present sovereign, Alexandria 
Victoria, daughter of his brother, the Duke of Kent, who had died 
in 1820. Queen Victoria was married on the 10th of February, 1840, 
to her cousin. Prince Albert, of Saxe-Coburg. 

8. In May, 1843, the Melbourne ministry resigned, in consequence 
of the smallness of their majority in the house of commons on a lead- 
ing measure ; and Sir Eobert Peel attempted to form a new ministry. 
He required to have the ladies of the queen's bed-chamber removed, 

(lid tlie reformed parliament adopt? 3. What change of ministers in 183-i? 4. Who 
are the Conservatives? 5. What of the Radicals? What of the Liberals? 6. What of 
the Irish memhers of parliament? 7. When did AVilliam IV. die? Who sncceeded 



RECENT EVENTS. — 1841-1848. 443 

but this being refused by her majesty, "as contrary to usage, and 
repugnant to her feelings," the whig ministry, at her request, re- 
sumed their places. 

9. In August, 1841, the whig ministry resigned, and a tory ministry 
soon after came into power, Sir Robert Peel being at its head. He 
conducted the government with great prudence and energy, but in 
1845, he gave his influence in favor of a repeal of the corn laws, 
and a species of free-trade tariff. A change of ministry followed, 
and the whigs, under Lord John Russell, came into power, which 
they held for a long time. 

10. Several important events have occurred in Great Britain 
within the reign of the present queen. A war has been carried on 
against China, the result of which has been to compel that great 
country to open four of her ports to the commerce of Christendom. 

11. In Ireland the most extraordinary spectacles have been ex- 
hibited. A Catholic jn-iest, known as Father Mathew, has induced 
nearly six millions of persons, of all ages and sexes, to sign the 
pledge of temperance, by which they engage never to partake of 
intoxicating drinks. The benefits of this wonderful movement are 
beyond calculation to thousands long held in degradation by the 
vice of drunkenness. 

12. Other movements, no less wonderful, have also been exhibited 
in Ireland. O'Connell roused a portion of the nation to a sense of 
their wrongs, and a series of mass meetings were held, some of 
which numbered hundreds of thousands of persons. These were 
called upon by the most thrilling eloquence, as well from O'Connell 
as others, to demand a rejjeal of the union, as the only means of 
their deliverance. 

13. This agitation was characterized by a deep enthusiasm, re- 
strained, however, within the bounds of general good order, and 
observance of established laws. O'Connell was tried, and though 
the "monster" meetings were adjudged illegal, the Agitator him- 
self was released on technical grounds. His career seemed, however, 
to be at an end, and, in 1847, he died while on his way to Rome. 

14. In .lanuary, 1840, a new law went into successful operation 
in Great Britain, establishing the rates of postage on letters of com- 
mon weight at one penmj for any distance. This system has proved 
completely successful, and may be regarded as one of the greatest 
triumphs of government, which is able to scatter knowledge at so 
cheap a rate, and thus to knit together, by easy intercourse, every 
portion of its dominions. 

15. Daring the year 1847, famine spread over a part of Europe, 
and fell with melancholy fatality upon Ireland. It was attended by 
pestilence, and in the space of a twelvemonth, it is said, half a 
million of persons jierished, by disease and starvation, in that un- 
happy island. The British government made great efforts to remedy 
these evils, and liberal donations, in money and provisions, were 
sent from the United States. 

16. But all aids could not prevent spectacles of calamity, vice, 

him? Whom did Victoria marry? 8. What of the ministry? 9. What of the minis- 



444 CRIMEAN WAR. — 1854. 

and crime, which, even to tliink of, make the heart sick. Influenced 
by these circumstances, and incited by the revolution of 1848 in 
France, which drove Louis Philijipe from the throne, and estab- 
lished a republic there, some Irish patriots attempted a rebellion 
against the British government. Their plans, however, were crude, 
and not seconded by the people, and they became the victims of 
these sincere but misguided efforts in behalf of their country. 

17. The French revolution, just mentioned, occasioned great agi- 
tation in England, and a number of persons, called Chartists, made 
a movement for reform. Their efforts were abortive, and some of 
the leaders were punished for treasonable practices. 



CHAPTEE CCXXVI. 

The Crimean War. — English Vieivs of the Civil War in America. — 
Marriage of the Prince of Wales. 

1. In 1854, the English government, in connection with the 
French and Sardinians, determined to take the part of the Turks 
against the Russians, and to resist the encroachments of the latter 
upon Turkish territory and the increase of their navy upon the 
Black Sea. But it was not out of love for the Turks that this step 
was taken. 

2. The English, besides being unwilling to see the balance of 
power, as it then existed, disturbed, were afraid that if Russia pos- 
sessed a powerful navy in the Black Sea, with an access, through the 
Bosphorus, into the Mediterranean, their route to India and the 
East might at any time be cut off, and their rich possessions isolated 
from the mother country. France and Sardinia were actuated by 
similar considerations. 

3. This struggle, known as the Crimean War, lasted two years, and 
closed with the capture of the Russian stronghold, Sebastopol, which 
had till then held out against the besiegers. The losses of the Eng- 
lish in killed and wounded were large, but larger still from hardship, 
exposure, and insufficient supplies. 

4. The treaty of peace which followed the war, — known as the 
Treaty of Paris, — required the Emperor of Russia to dismantle the 
fortress of Sebastopol, and neutralized the Black Sea, that is, opened 
it to the comnierce of all nations, and forbade either the Turks or 
the Russians to maintain a navy upon its waters. These conditions 
the Russians assented to, yielding, as was afterwards made evident, 
upon compulsion, and not from conviction that the requirements of 
the treaty were just. 

try of 1841? 10. What of the war in China? 11. Fatlier Mathow? 12. 13. OConnell ? 
14. The penny postage law? 15. Famine? 16. Rebellion? 17. The Chartists? 

CCXXVI.— 1. What of war with Russia? 2. What were the motives of the English? 
Of the French and Sardinians? 3. What is the struggle called? How did it end? 4. 



DEATH OF PRINCE ALBERT. 1861. 445 

5. For, fifteen years afterwards, when the principal ally of Eng- 
land, France, had become powerless in consequence of a disastrous 
war with Prussia, Russia "denounced" the treaty, that is, declared 
some of its provisions intolerable, and gave notice that she would 
no longer abide by them. This step caused great agitation in Eng- 
land, and it was for some time feared that war would inevitably be 
the consequence. 

6. The Russian government finally consented, however, to a con- 
ference of the several nations that were parties to the treaty of 
Paris, in which they could state their grievances and ask that the ob- 
jectionable clauses be peaceably withdrawn or suitably modified. 
This conference assembled in London, in January, 1871, and decided 
to accede to the claims of Russia. 

7. By far the greater part of the glory of the Crimean war had 
fallen to the share of the French, and a very natural consequence 
was a feeling of alarm in England that Napoleon III., Emperor of 
the French, presuming upon the inferred superiority of his soldiers, 
should invade the shores of Great Britain. The question was 
seiiously asked and discussed throughout the kingdom, how such an 
attack could be repelled, if indeed it could be repelled at all. 

8. The agitation upon this subject had become a panic in the 
year 1860. In July of that year the French emperor addressed a 
letter to his ambassador in London, disclaiming any hostility to- 
wards England, with a view to calming the prevailing apprehension. 
All fears of a war with France at once subsided. 

9. In the autumn of the same year, the Prince of Wales, travel- 
ling as the Baron Renfrew, visited the United States and Canada. 
In December, 1861, Prince Albert died at Windsor Castle, in his 
forty-third year, to the great grief, not only of the royal family, 
but of the entire British people. 

10. In July, 1862, the freedom of the city of London was pre- 
sented to Mr. George Peabody, an American banker doing business 
there, in acknowledgment of a gift from him of $750,000, for the 
benefit of the poor of London. This sum was afterwards increased 
to nearly two million dollars ; and, when Mr. Peabody died, in 1869, 
the queen directed his body to be conveyed to America in an 
English man-of-war. 

11. The war against secession had now been in progress in the 
United States nearly two years, and the consequences to the cotton- 
spinners of England, owing to the stoppage of a supply of the raw 
material from America, were distressing in the extreme. At the 
close of the year 1862, 275,000 persons had applied for relief. 

12. In spite of their sufferings, however, these people did not 
desire the raising of the blockade of the cotton ports, being con- 
vinced that the United States were fighting in the cause of free labor, 
and in this belief thev remained firm to the end. Large sums of money 



What of the treaty of Paris? Its conditions? 5. What happened in 1S70? The conse- 
quence in England? 6. What of a conference? 7, 8. AVliat of fears in England of a 
French invasion? 9. The Prince of Wales? Prince Albert? 10. What of the city of 
London and Mr. Peabody? 11. The effect in England of the war against secession? 12. 

38 



446 ATLANTIC CABLE LAID. — 1886. 

were raised for them both in Eiighmd and America, and from the 
latter country several sliiph)ad.s of breadstuffs were sent in addition. 

13. The aristocratic and governing chisses of England, however, 
favored — thougli they now seek to gh)ss it over — tlie cause of seces- 
sion. They had come to fear tlie United States as a rival power, 
and would have been glad to see the country broken up. They 
therefore gave the seceding states what aid and comfort they 
could, but, as the sequel will show, had serious cause to regret it. 

14. In March, 1863, the Prince of Wales was married at Windsor, 
to the Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The royal bride had been 
previously received, upon her landing at Gravesend, with every 
demonstration of delight. The event was celebrated by illumina- 
tions and festivities in almost every town and village in the kingdom. 
While the po])ularity of the princess has remained unimpaired 
to this hour, that of the prince, from his own misconduct, has been 
constantly declining. 



CHAPTER CCXXVII. 

The Atlantic Cable. — Expedition agnind Abi/ssinia. — Disendowment 
of the Irish Church. — The Alabama affair. — The Fisheries. — Con- 
clusion. 

1. In July, 1866, after several unsuccessful attempts, a telegraph 
wire was laid across the Atlantic Ocean, connecting the continents 
of Europe and America. The ships and the men engaged in the 
enterprise, as well as the money embarked in it, were for the most 
part English ; the original idea, however, was American, and to the 
spirit and perseverance of an American, Mr. Cyrus W. Field, the 
final success of the undertaking may be largely attributed. 

2. A number of English travellers having fallen into the hands 
of the Emjjeror Theodore of Abyssinia, in Africa, who refused to 
give them U]j, the government sent an expedition to release them. 
The force arrived before IMagdala, the enemy's capital, in April, 
1868. In less than a week, the Abyssinians had been beaten, theii 
city burned, and their emperor killed. The prisoner's were rescued, 
and, with the troops, at once embarked for home. 

3. In 1869, the question of the abolition of cajiital punishment 
having been largely discussed by the i>eop!e, a bill proposing to do 
away with the death-j^enalty was introduced into jiarliament. It 
was defeated in the house of commons by a large majority. 

4. In the same year, after a long and exciting debate in parlia- 
ment, the Irish Church was disestablished. The meaning of this is, 
that the Irish, a large majority of whom are Roman Catholics, and 
who had hitherto been taxed for the supj)ort of the state church 
of England, which is Protestant, were relieved from this oppression. 



the conduct of tlic^ cottoii-spinnors? Efthrts for their relief? 13. The governing cliusse? 
of England in rofercnc« to secession? 14. Marriage of the Prince of Wales? 

CCXXVII. — 1. What of an Atlantic teU>graj)h? To whom niav it^< snccess be partl> 
attriliuted? 2. What of an expedition to Ahyssinia? The resull ? ". Capital punisk 



ALABAMA CLAIMS. 447 

Thus one of the grievances under which Irehmd had long suffered, 
and of which it had never ceased to comjjlain, was removed. 

5. But justice had in this case been so tardily meted out, and so 
many other causes of discontent remained to rankle in the Irish breast, 
that England will probably never be permitted to hold her Irish 
possessions in peace. Vast bands of malcontents, who have sworn 
to injure England in any way which may otfer itself, and have 
taken the naiiie of Fenians, exist both in Ireland and America. 
They have made several attempts at invasion and rebellion, but 
without success. 

6. Besides the Irish question, England has another matter upon 
her hands, which has already given her great trouble, though, as 
the closing chapter of this book is written, it seems in a fair way 
of being amicably settled. This is the aftair of the Alabama, and 
arose, as you doubtless well know, out of the war in America 
against secession. 

7. The steamship Alabama was built, equipped, and supplied in 
Liverpool, and from that port was allowed to sail forth and burn and 
destroy unarmed American merchantmen. She was never in a Con- 
federate port, and so never acquired a lemil character as an enemy's 
ship, but remained essentially a pirate. When the war was over, the 
United States government demanded damages, and the negotia- 
tions to this end hav(> now been going on for some years. 

8. It was held by many in the United States that the Englisli 
ought not only to i)ay lor actual damage done by tlie ])iratical 
vessel, but for " ct))istructive" damage, that is, should indemnify 
those ship-owners who were afraid to send their vessels to sea, and 
whose business, therefore, was injured or ruined. The government, 
however, did not take this ground, claiming only reparation for 
losses fully proved. 

9. The English government contended that they could only be 
expected to make good these losses in case they had not exercised 
due diligence to learn the character of the vessel while building, 
and to prevent her sailing if convinced that her purpose was to 
l)rey upon the commerce of a friendly power. They denied that 
they were guilty of this negligence, asserting, in other words, that 
tliey had no reason to view her with any suspicion whatever. 

10. The answer to this, on the jmrt of the Americans, was, that 
tlu! American minister in (treat Britain knew the vessel's character, 
and the purj)ose of her builders, and was aware of the day of her 
intended sailing; and that if this information was thus obtainable 
by him, it certainly was accessible to the British government. 

11. But the Americans were even willing to waive this point, 
and to say that the English were not guilty of negligence, and could 
not fairly be held accountable for the escape of the vessel. They 
would base their claims solely upon this fact, that after her escape, 

niciit in Eusliuiil? i. What doosdisestalilislimcnt of tho Irish Church mean? Why Wiis 
the stfp taken? 5. What of tlie feoling in Ireland asaiust England? Wliat are tlie 
nialciiiitents called ? Their imriiose? Their acts? 6. What other difficulty remains in 
Eiifjiand? IFow did this ori-inate? 7. Relate the story of the Alabama. 'S. What 
ground was taken hy tiiauv in the United Slates? What hy the government? 9. What 



448 CHARACTER OF THE ENGLISH. 

and after she had commenced her depredations and proved her 
character, the Alabama was admitted to British ports all over the 
world, allowed to refit and rccoal, and to sail forth again upon her 
errand of destruction. 

12. To this charge there was no reply possible, and, if, as at 
present seems probable, the British government decide to make the 
reparation asked for, it will doubtless be owing more to the fact of 
the resailing of the Alabama from colonial ports, than to that of 
her original escajje from Liverpool. 

13. Late in the year 1870, difficulties arose between American 
and Canadian fishermen in the waters off the Canadian shores, and 
the President of the United States, in his message to Congress, 
made pointed reference to the occurrence. It is hoped that the 
trouble sure to arise from this cause, if not prevented, will be set at 
rest at the same time that the Alabama affair is discussed and 
arranged. 

14. We may now close our long story by giving you the character 
of the English, as summed up by an intelligent Frenchman : "An 
atmosphere of fogs, rain, and perpetual variation ; a political free- 
dom which has long been the envy of the most enlightened nations ; 
an established I'eligion, owing all its power to its disconnection with 
foreign influence ; a perfect freedom of conscience ; an industry 
which has increased tenfold the riches of the soil. 

16. " All these have given to the English a sombre, abrupt, and 
meditative character ; a pride which leads them to look upon them- 
selves as the first nation of the world ; a solitary and retired mode 
of life ; a set of manners different from those of the rest of Europe ; 
intelligence superior to that of their neighbors, but accompanied 
by great egotism and a multitude of prejudices." 

TABLE OF THE SOVEREIGNS OF THE HANOVEU OR BRUNSWICK FAMILY. 

George I., great-grandson of James I. 
George II., son of George I. 
George III., grandson of George II. 
George IV., son of George III. 
William IV., son of George III. 
Victoria, grand-daughter of George III. 

CHILDREN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 

Victoria Adelaide, born 1840, married, in 1858, the Crown Prince of Prussia. 

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, born 1841, married, in 1863, Princess Alex- 
andra of Denmark. 

Alice Maud Mary, born 1843, married, in 1862, Prince Louis of Hesse. 

Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh, born 1844. 

Helena, born 1846, married, in 1S()6. Prince Christian of Sehle.'swig. 

Louisa, born 1848, married, in 1871, Lord Lome, son of the Duke of Argyle, a 
subject. 

Arthur, born 1850. 

Leopold, born 1S53. 

Beatrice, born 1857. 

by the English government? 10. The American reply to this? 11. What were tho 
Americans willing to coiu-ede? The tiiiiil argmnent? 12. The probable result? 13. 
What of fisheries in CaiiaJi;in waters? 14, 15. The character of the Englisli? 



Ill to reign. 


Reigni 


1714 . . 


. 13 


1727 . . 


. 32 


1760 . . 


. 60 


1820 . . 


. 10 


1830 . . 


. 7 


1837 


— 



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with Two liundr(<d Wood Kngravings. 

Stockhardt's Chemistry. The Principles of Chcmis 

try, illustrated liy Simple Kxperiments. By Dr. JtTLrcs Adolpr Stockmakpt 
Professor in the Koyal Academy of A^T'culture at Tharand, and lioyal Inspectoi 
of Medicine in Saxony. Translated by C. II. Peirce, M. D. Fifteenth Thoisaud 

Reid's Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man. 

Essays on the Intellectml Powers of Vnxi. liy THOMAS Reid, D. D., F. B r* P 
Abridged, with notes and illustrations froit Sir VViLUAM Hamilton and .dl'.r- 
Edlt«d by .Iambs Walker, I). D., Presidunt of Harvard College. 

Stewart's Philosophy of the Active and M(,ial 

Powers of .Man. Tlie Philosophy of the Ai-tivp and Moral Powers M Man. bj 
DiJUALr. Stewart, F. R. SS. I^md. and FA. Ke\n3od, wi«'- imiBgioDS anu alditiirs 
by jAMEt' Waliucr, t». D.. Prt'Sidn.l ui Harvard Collece 

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Hart's Constitution of the United States A. Brief 

Kxpo«Uion of the Constitutiou ( tlio L'riitcd Stiitcs, tor the „»« of Commoi 
Srliiiols. I!y JonN S. Hart, I,L. D. rriiicipal of the Pliilailelphia Uigt School 
anil Profi'smir of Moral, Mental, and Folitical Science in Iho Hame. 

Hart's English Grammar. Part. 1. An Introduo 

tion to the Oraruniar of tlio Eiigli-di Laii^nago. By .JyUN S. IliKT, LL. T). 1 yd 

12niij. 

Hart's English Grammar. English Grammar, or 

An KxpoHition of the rrinci'iples and Unagi-ri of thu KiikIihIi 1-angiiiige. By ,JonN 
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American Philosuphical Society. 

Hart's Class Book of Poetry. Class Book of Poetry, 

consisting of Selectiona from DiNtinfjiiished Km.'';«h and American Poets, from 
Chancer to the present day. The whole arr.iii;i-d in chronological order, with 
Biographical and Critical Ilemarks. liy John S. Hart, Mj. D , Principal of the 
Philadelphia High School. 

Elart's Class Book of Prose. Glass Book of Prose, 

consisting of Selections from Distinguished English and American Authors, from 
Chancer to the present day. The whole arranged in Chronological order, witl 
Biographical and Critical Itemarks. By Joh.v S. Haj.t, LL. D., Principal of the 
Philadelphia High School. 

Smith's English Grammar. English Grammar on 

the Productive System: a nielhndof inHtniction recently adopted In Germany and 
Switzerland. Designed for Schools and Acaiiemies. By KosiTell C. Smith. 

(Jomstock's El(3cution. A System uf Elocution, with 

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